The Hat of Hohwald
by Talon Shields
Summary: Brielle Hawkins has always been curious about her family. As a foster child, she'd never known her parents - never even seen them. When she's adopted by the Madrack family, things rapidly change. Brielle enrolls in the Aboriginal School of Indigenous Magic, and for some reason, everyone already knows her. Join Brielle on her journey figuring out who she is and more about her past.
1. One Half : Preface

**Preface**

**A/N: Hello! This is the first "chapter", but since it doesn't really have to do with the story line other than the background, so I'm calling it the Preface. A special thanks to my friend T for editing this for me, as well as R (nobaba) of hpluver394 for also editing. It really meant a lot that these two went through and worked with me on it :)**

**If you like the story, please be sure to favorite/review it :) I'd really appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not writing about Hogwarts, or Harry, or any of the typical HP things, so please stick with it :) I hope y'all like it!**

**~J**

It seemed like ages before the bus came on the oddly brisk summer day. The young, quiet girl was used to that, though; she knew the drill for the bus here. As she waited, she admired the stop and watched the familiar trees swaying with the wind, the common flowers on the ground that were, to Muggle passersby, weeds. She would eventually know their full potential, though; to her, these weeds would become complicated ingredients in a solution that could kill as easily as heal. But, not yet. Not for another few years.

Her gray eyes scanned the buildings, as she most likely wouldn't see them again for a month or so. However long this house was going to keep her. She wasn't sure; it always varied depending on the family. She didn't expect to stay for a while, at least; only a few months. Nowhere near as long as she ended up living there. Besides, not all families in the system could keep a young eight year old like herself for very long. Their excuses were all the same: "she's too energetic" or "we can't handle another family member right now". That word, handle, it was the most ridiculous word she'd ever heard. What was there to handle about her? She didn't take up much time or space... She wasn't super active and she trained herself not to need much attention from the families.

She snapped out of her thoughts when the bus skidded to a halt in front of her, the driver slamming on the breaks. "All aboard, kid," the recognizable voice announced out of his speaker that sat atop the bus. He was late, but that, too, was familiar, like everything about today - everything except the people she was about to meet.

"Oi, Brielle Hawkins." The faded, silverish body of a man stood roughly from the seat as the doors squealed and opened narrowly. His plump body solidified as he walked down the stairs and squeezed out the door, allowing him to seem rather normal. More so than he was, at least.

He exited the door and hit the ground hard, the bus shaking after he stepped down, then threw Brielle's single bag into the bottom of the bus. He held a hand out expectantly as she forked over the eight sickles and one knut that she was given to buy a ticket. The stern bus driver counted the money warily, as if it wasn't obviously the same amount she gave him about once a month, but he pulled a ticket out of his pocket and punched a small hole in the top anyways, right over the date. He handed the little green slip of paper to the girl, the color signaling that she was an unaccompanied minor, and they both boarded the automobile.

"Where to?" he asked gruffly as Brielle found a plush red couch close to the front. She saw that there were two other wizards already on the bus - one sleeping with an arm slung across his face, the other on the second of three levels eating a bagel and reading the paper. There was a picture on the front of the periodical of a young baby, which appeared in its mothers arms, and then was taken by the father. She guessed they were some sort of a famous couple that Brielle should've known but really didn't. Nonetheless, she would've paid anything to see her with her parents like that.

Brielle sighed and removed the other slip of paper - a white one - from her pocket with the new house's address on it. She slowly examined the delicate handwriting on it, and then realized she already knew what part of town it was located in. "I'm headed to Wexford," she explained. She twirled an old wand between her fingers, the one that she typically kept in her boot. Her mother had left it for her when she dropped Brielle at The Continental Orphanage for Witches and Wizards - or just Continental, to Brielle - but it had no use to her; the woman who ran Continental had tried to teach her a few spells with it, but the wand didn't respond well to the young witch. She reserved it as a keepsake anyways, as it was the only part of her past and real parents she had left, even though it didn't work correctly.

"Again?" he asked with a raised brow as he started the engine and locked down the gas pedal of the bus. It lurched forward and began to weave in and out of other cars on its own. "Second time in two months."

"I know, Roger," Brielle said with a tad bit of an annoyed tone as she sat back; sometimes, though, she couldn't tell the difference between an attitude and her own accent... Roger didn't seem to take offense, though, so it was alright.

She had been sent to another household in the area of Wexford at the beginning of the month, and now she was back, headed to the... Madrack... house... or whatever their last name was. She hoped she had a better experience here, as the other family had sent her back within two weeks because she "didn't wash the floors fast enough" and "forgot to make little Kylie's bed in the mornings". Of course they just used the same standard excuses as everyone else when they sent her back. Sometimes people seemed to think that this was a maid service rather than a foster-care system. Either way, she was surprised the Madracks picked her up so quickly after that; they signed up to take her less than a week after her return.

Roger, the bus driver, plopped down on the chair near her, next to the coffee table. Brielle watched the wheel of the bus twist and turn quickly and spastically, and she always wondered how Roger kept a job if all he had to do was set the Wizarding Positional System (WPS) to Wexford or wherever they were going and then hit autopilot. After that, he was turned and talking to the girl in no time. But, as it only took 15 minutes to reach the new address, they didn't get to chat as much as she would have liked. Although Roger appeared rough on the outside, he was a sweet soul. Literally, soul. Oh yes, Roger was a ghost.

Yet another reason Brielle pondered whether his job was true or not.

He always calmed her nerves before a new home, probably because he knew about all of the families she was staying with. "The Madracks, huh?" he asked as he picked his teeth with a ghostly toothpick he stored in his jacket pocket. "Yeah, I know 'em."

That's how the conversation always started. He made her feel like the family was a mess by his tone of voice, but then gave her the good stuff on them. Though this time, he seemed to have more good things than he did about the other families. "Joseph and Larissa. Nice couple, really, they are. Shame, it is, Larissa's always working...and a Muggle. She'd be an excellent witch, that one, if you asked me." For as much of a shame as it was, Brielle didn't mind when the mother worked a lot. She had always taken to fathers, or any male figure, more than wives or sisters. They were the easiest to relate to; no nails, no hair, no drama. Men mostly enjoyed food and sports - particularly Quidditch, which Brielle adored.

"Oh, and Evan," he added with a bit of a perkier tone to his voice, which was a nice change from his typical grumbling, "Man oh man, Evan. He graduated from Aboriginal, in the Western Europe division, you know. He's a real professor there now, he is. Potions. Youngest professor in the school, I do believe."

Brielle raised an eyebrow. A workaholic Muggle mother and a wizarding father and son? Perfect setup.

Soon after Roger mentioned a few more facts about each family member, the bus rolled to a halt in front of an average sized, rustic looking house. It was wider than it was high and built of green siding with some parts that were wood paneling. The foundation of the house was light and dark brown stones stacked ruggedly against each other. The large silver knocker stood out substantially on the dark mahogany door and was placed at the top, which was going to be an issue for the short child. She stared in awe at the garden in front, the flowers all beautifully chosen and placed. It was actually rather on the small size, which she liked; if the house was small, it meant that the family wasn't invested in money, and typically weren't obnoxious and stuck-up.

"Now scram, kid," Roger hustled Brielle out of the bus and grabbed her luggage, giving her the same send off as always. With an insulting tone but a tiny smile on his face, the grumpy old ghost bit the toothpick and handed her the bag she packed at Continental of her few belongings. He attempted to give her a nudge on the shoulder but, as always, his hand went right through her. She wondered how he could carry luggage without it falling, but still not be able to touch a person. She shrugged off the question as the bus pulled away, Roger wishing her good luck from the megaphone as she walked up to the door slowly.

She stuck the older wand into her boot again as she dropped her bag on the ground, having to stand on her tiptoes to reach the knocker and use two hands for balance. Once she finally reached it, she knocked as loudly as possible with the awkward positioning.

A second later, a young man with black curly hair over his forehead answered the door. He had shocking gray eyes, much like Brielle's. His, however, were more light and brilliant, while the girl's were duller and darker. Plus, hers hid behind thick-framed glasses. She was surprised his eyes somewhat matched hers, since gray wasn't exactly a common color. He was rather tall and fit. His face appeared more mature than she assumed he actually was from his stature, which confused Brielle; she couldn't decide if this was the father or son, or neither. She assumed it wasn't the father, since his son had already graduated college and this man was not old enough to have a son that age; his face was mature, not old.

"Hello," the boy greeted her with a small, awkward smile and got onto one knee. Brielle was rather short for her age, which was odd because she was told her parents were both quite tall, like this new person was. "You must be Brielle. I'm Evan." The man stuck a large hand out for her to shake, which she did warily.

"Yes, I'm Brielle...Hawkins..." she added her last name slowly but didn't know why. It wasn't like she was going to be referred to by her last name for the short time she lived as a Madrack. They were just a foster home, anyways. They didn't adopt her. They probably wouldn't, either.

"Well, Brielle Hawkins," Evan said, keeping the kind but stiff smile on his face. This showed the deep dimples inlaid in his cheeks. She was surprised they were so deep considering his smile was so humble, "Come on in, I'll show you around."

Evan took the young, bespectacled girl on a tour of the house, starting on the first floor. The home was much larger on the inside than it appeared when she had stood out front, which was a little upsetting. She'd hoped they'd be a little less... Well, she didn't want them to be this rich. But maybe it wasn't money; there was definitely some major magic going on inside the house. Small appearance, bigger actuality. Some of this stuff could be the result of magic, right?

They had a parlor, two bathrooms, a powder room - which apparently is different than a bathroom - a very large kitchen, plus a bedroom that he identified as his own. "Technically, it's the guest room," he explained as he opened the door to a made bed but a messy desk filled with papers, "but I still live here some nights during the school year, usually when we're on holiday breaks, so I took hold of it again. I'm a Potions professor, by the way." She wanted to say that she already knew that, but it may seem a little creepy to already know.

He then showed Brielle the backyard, which contained "plenty of room to fly", in Evan's words. They apparently had two brooms; one that they kept in a glass case and only used in school for flying and training - which was the family broom from generations before Evan - and another that he couldn't reveal the location of. He said that Joseph and Larissa weren't big fans of flying, but they kept a single broom that had never been used somewhere in the house. He didn't know where... or so he claimed.

"You know," he whispered to Brielle as she admired the family broom, "as long as our parents aren't home, I'll show you how to fly." The handle had a sleek, gray finish with a neat black design on it, something she admired the work of. Simple, yet mesmerizing. The bottom whiskers of the broom were black with small strands of silver and brown mixed in. The end of the handle once had something written on it, and Brielle could just make out the letters - which were probably black at some point, based on the slight stain on the wood. It read Glover 200. Brielle looked up at Evan with a beaming smile on her face, not fully realizing that he'd said our parents. All she could think about was this broom. The other houses hadn't typically kept one, and, even when they did, she wasn't permitted to fly it.

"Really?" She asked anxiously, looking back at their reflection in the clean glass casing. She was a bit wary of him, though he seemed older-brother-y and genuine in everything he said or did, as if he never did anything without some sort of true purpose.

"Of course," Evan responded and stood back upright. He ruffled his hair a bit. "Before any of that, though, let's get you settled into your room."

Brielle followed the young man up the stairs. He had taken her bag, though she had said she could handle a few steps. There turned out to be more than she'd thought, so she was rather glad she'd let him carry it. "Ma and Dad usually stay at work until five or six at night," he said as they reached the top of the staircase, "So you'll be home with me most days, if I'm not at school. If I am, you may be alone... The neighbors have a Muggle son your age, nice boy really. He may be around." Evan showed her down the hall, pointing out Joseph and Larissa's bedroom at the top of the staircase and the bathroom that Brielle would have to herself that was just a few steps away from her room. She stepped through the door of her new bedroom and stared in awe.

"No," she gawked with a huge smile plastered on her face. Brielle couldn't believe it, even though she was standing in the doorway of it. Her own room, all to herself. She looked around, and the walls were painted a light blue. It was a perfect shade to go with the plain black and white sheets on the bed. Two plush pillows rested against the headboard, and in front of them was a small cat stuffed animal.

Next to the bed, there was a leatherback journal on a nightstand with a matching leather tie and a nice pen on top, plus a lamp to add to the lights on the ceiling. She assumed it was for the purpose of late night writing, the lamp for late night anything, really. Brielle turned to the closet, where two articles of clothing were already hung neatly on their own, without hangers or anything. She pointed to the two robes sitting side by side as Evan flicked his wand at Brielle's bag and closed his eyes, making the clothes fly out and put themselves away. She smiled at the fact that he closed his eyes to avoid seeing anything...personal...despite her only being eight. Some clothes hung themselves up as others folded into the chest of drawers that she noticed was a physical part of the closet. She didn't have much, but it was enough to make the closet seem somewhat full.

"What are those?" she asked, still pointing at the robes. "I'm only eight, and not family...I shouldn't have school robes, right?"

"Right," Evan responded and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, "Not yet, at least." He took one robe down, which had the Muggle symbol for theatre printed on the inside. It was a deep burgundy color around the picture, with the crest acting as a nice white and yellow accent to the robe. He slung it around his shoulders, and Brielle was no longer looking at a tall, curly haired man, but a small, nimble girl with dark auburn hair and glasses. She jumped back as the other Brielle smirked and laughed a little.

"It's a shape shifting robe," Evan explained in a little, Irish voice. Did she truly sound like that? "Just think of who you want to become as you put it on." He removed the large robe and handed it to Brielle, returning to his original form. She shut her eyes and thought of the first person that came to mind.

Brielle covered her head and shoulders with the robe and opened one eye. She looked down, but her hands were the same pale color as before and she could still feel her loose braid tickling the back of her neck.

"I don't think it - " she began, but her voice came out a little deeper with an American accent. She gave a smile and glared at the full body mirror but did not see herself staring back. Instead, there was a boy about her normal height with light, sandy hair, his eyes a deep blue and freckles scattered on his face. She smiled at the reflection of her best friend from Continental, Connor. She felt a pang of jealousy and hurt in her stomach, knowing that she'd probably never see his face again, as he was formally adopted a long time ago. It was possible that she'd see him once more, yet not for a long time, not until they went to school. Not until she herself was adopted and allowed the use of an owl. She knew he lived in Ireland still, so he probably wasn't far from here. Her best chance was school, though; maybe they'd both eventually be sent to the same place for an education, that would be phenomenal. Though he was a year older than she, Connor would be there while she was. Maybe they'd even be in the same house. It was unlikely, but possible. He couldn't have gone far from here...

Brielle unwrapped herself and handed the robe back to Evan, throwing the thoughts aside. He hung it up without question of who the boy was, probably from the upset look she had plastered on her face, then took the other down. It was the same size as the former robe, but that's where the similarities stopped. It was a cloak rather than a robe, and the pattern on it was quite different. It was a silvery gray color with a navy blue shield on the front, as one would find with a suit of armor. Evan draped it around Brielle's shoulders, and she looked to the mirror. The cloak shimmered and disappeared, but other than that, nothing happened appearance-wise.

"Now," he said and drew his wand. Brielle's hand went instinctively to her boot, though the wand was ineffective. "Whoa," Evan shouted with his hands up as she pulled the wand and pointed it at him, a stern expression covering her face, "I'm just showing you what the cloak does." The girl slowly lowered her wand to her side, and then stuffed it into her boot once more. He let out the breath he'd been holding, and flicked his wrist quickly. "Stupefy!" he commanded, and a shot of light came surging at Brielle. She held her arms in front of her face in fear, but she felt nothing other than a slight buzzing sensation around her body, where the cloak laid. After the light and the buzz was gone, she lowered her arms to a smiling Evan.

"See?" he asked and grabbed the cloak from her shoulders, hanging it back up in the closet. The smile stayed on his face as he spoke, "It's a protective cloak, so you don't get hurt in a duel. It's illegal in a formal duel, of course, but at school, students use them all the time for lessons, if they have one to use."

"Where exactly do you teach?" Brielle questioned as she took her remaining possessions out of her bag. She wondered why she'd been given a bag this large if she had only a few things that were her own. She removed a picture of her with Connor when they were kids that showed him slinging his arm around her shoulder and her smiling with two lost front teeth, then them looking at each other and him taking his arm down. She could remember the exact moment they took that picture... She also took out a book that one of the girls at Continental had given her before she left as well as a blanket, which she assumed she wouldn't need since the comforter on the bed appeared rather cozy.

"Oh, pardon, I haven't told you," Evan said with a strained tone, hidden by a triumphant smile. He seemed rather fond and proud of his job but also looked like he didn't want to brag about it, "I teach Potions at the Aboriginal School of Indigenous Magic, my alma mater. Soon to be your school, too, in three short years."

Brielle almost dropped her alarm clock. "Wait, I'm going to school... With you?"

"Is...that a problem?" he asked slowly as his brow furrowed. He sat on a chair by the desk that Brielle hadn't noticed was there until now.

"No, it's just..." she could have trailed off about how she might actually stay here for three years. But she decided not to bore him with that and cut straight to the chase: to send her to school, the family first had to adopt her. "You're going to adopt me?"

"Well, of course!" Evan beamed with joy as his worried expression became a larger smile than it had been all morning, "Why wouldn't we?"

She explained how every family that has housed her for the past three years was temporary, and she expected this house to be the same way. "Blimey, who would 'return' you?" he questioned in a genuinely confused state, "You've been a delight...so far, at least." He gave a small laugh as Brielle launched into a story of one of her former foster homes, one that strung her along for five months or so saying they'd adopt her and then just flipped her like a pancake.

"Well, that's a bit pank, don't you think?" he cursed as he ran a hand through his curly hair and suggested they have lunch, "I promise, we won't be like that. We also won't make you do chores, any more than I used to do, anyways." As they walked down the stairs, they remained silent. Brielle checked the wall clock and saw that the time was 1:30 in the afternoon; she'd been here for three hours already and she loved the house as well as Evan; she just hoped that Larissa and Joseph were the same way.

"Oh," said Evan after a slight buzzing sound. He looked down at his wrist, where a watch was strapped. Or, at least, what seemed to be a watch. He touched the glass a few times and looked up at the young girl across from him. "Well, Ma won't be home until late tonight. Dad's coming at 10:00, as well... So I guess it's just us for the day." He glanced over at the broom in the casing by the backyard, then back at Brielle. "You want to fly for a bit?"

Oh, yeah. Brielle knew she was going to love it here.


	2. 1 : And Off to School We Go

**Chapter 1: And Off to School We Go**

**A/N: Howdy again! I hope everyone who's reading this liked the first chapter/preface… It helps pave the way for this chapter and the future ones. Happy reading!**

**Please be sure to review and favorite if you like it :)**

**Disclaimer: Thank you to R and T for editing, and I think T is more of a co-writer (though she doesn't want to admit it because she thinks it's "more of your story, Talon") ALSO: This one is a lonnnnngggggg chapter so you've been warned**

**~J**

"Evan!" Brielle shouted towards her foster brother's room on the first floor. She saw his door was still closed as she ran down the stairs, dragging her bottomless bag behind her. Joseph had charmed it with an undetectable extension charm, which meant she only needed the one bag. It was the first day of school and they were already late. She banged on Evan's door and yelled, "Evan, would you _hurry _your _butt up_!"

"Whoa, look who's boss now, you big 11 year old," Joseph joked as he buttered a bagel for breakfast, "I don't think I've ever heard you yell before."

"Joe, we're going to be late; I don't want to be," she sassed him and shouted, "If he had just packed last night, like I'd _suggested_…!"

"I'm coming, you yoke," Evan escaped the confines of his dark room with a yawn, a trunk that he charmed to be extended as well to fit all of his things - including a _lot _of food - and a messenger bag filled with schoolwork for his classes, "We won't be late, the group doesn't leave here for - "

"_Ninety minutes_, and I still have to buy supplies," Brielle interrupted matter-of-factly. Larissa came downstairs (last for a change), putting in an earring as she walked into the kitchen. She seemed to be in a rush, as well. "Larissa, _please_ tell him the importance of proper timing." She figured that her foster mother would be the best to put him in his place, as she was a stickler for being on time, what with her job and all. Though all she did this time was laugh.

"Sweet Pea, you're fine," Larissa smiled and kissed the top of the impatient girl's head, "You won't be late." Since she was officially adopted two years ago, the Madrack family had a habit of calling Brielle _Sweet Pea_. Her small and quiet nature made her appear extra-charming to the family. Now, though, Evan called her _Elle, Short Stack, _or _Slim_, because "_Sweet Pea _just didn't fit her anymore". No longer was she small and shy around the family; over the past three years at the Madrack's, Brielle had grown a full foot, proving the myth of her tall biological parents true.

Brielle had also surprisingly gotten closer with the mother than she'd expected. Larissa didn't particularly enjoy the make-up and stereotypical girl stuff that Brielle had expected she would; instead, she was very sport-oriented (other than her work) and when she watched television, she typically watched soccer or lacrosse.

The anxious, soon-to-be first year student ensured all of the necessary supplies that she already owned were in her expanded bag. Robes? Check. The two that were hanging in the closet. Uniform? No, not yet, as she would receive her clothes on her bed in the common room, after she was placed. She was unsure of her house, though she hoped she would find herself in Drakonas like Evan had been. She had been informed that Drakonas was more male-oriented, as the mascot was a dragon which symbolized athleticism, but she still wanted to try for it because of her athletic nature.

She then pulled out the tie she'd received in the mail as part of her invitation to the school; it was white and blank. None of the house colors were white, so she was unsure of why she'd have a white tie. Evan wouldn't tell her anything except that it was in fact part of the uniform and not to lose it; all he'd tell her was that she'd see when she got to the Grand Central Courtyard. For now, the tie was just kind of…there. A wand and her schoolbooks were the major things that Brielle still needed; her and Evan were going shopping for those in the Duka, the main shopping centre for "all things Aboriginal", apparently. They would then head to the Grand Central Courtyard to begin her first-year orientation.

"Alright," Larissa snapped Brielle's focus back from her unpacking and repacking trance and gently grabbed a pale hand, stopping her feverous movements. She pushed Brielle's glasses up a little and pouted her lip. "I'm off, as you should be as well. The best of luck, Sweet Pea, you'll be great." The young girl smiled and gave her foster mother a hug, knowing fully well that, while they hadn't exactly been _inseparable_, they would miss each other tons. "I'll write you at least once a quarter," Larissa added before releasing her from the hug and running a hand across her cheek, "More, if you're responding. And don't forget, try to stay _out _of Quidditch."

Brielle tried not to roll her eyes at the statement. She had always loved Quidditch; why would she _not _try to fly? Well, for one, she didn't have a broom; but Evan assured her there'd be brooms at school for her to use. Apparently the family broom was too old for vigorous flight so they couldn't take it for lessons. Evan told her not to worry because he had a plan. Off the record, though; his parents couldn't find out he was encouraging her. They thought Quidditch was mind-numbing and distracting, though their son had played Quidditch as Beater, the most barbaric position of all, and he turned out as an amazing professor. It was his fifth year teaching at Aboriginal, now, so it was obviously a steady and well paying job.

"Now, Brielle Hawkins," Joseph said in what she and Evan called his _big boy voice, _just as Larissa waved her final goodbye and walked out the door. She would then hop into her Muggle SUV to go work at the Muggle law firm with the other Muggles and win the Muggle court cases over the Muggle criminals and send them to Muggle jail. That's what she told Brielle she did, at least. Brielle often wondered if this was the reason for her strong dislike of Quidditch - since she was a Muggle, she couldn't fly. Was she jealous that Brielle could fly and she couldn't? That seemed like a bit of rubbish, though one couldn't help but wonder…

"It's imperative that you know three things before you go to school," Joseph continued and took a large gulp of orange juice, "Number one, there is to be no boys."

"Joseph," Brielle moaned with a smile, but he continued anyways.

"No. Boys. Not yet, miss thing. Evan will keep an eye on that for me. He's worse than I, when it comes down to it. If you're in Drakonas…" he let out a sigh and crossed his eyes to his forehead, "Then Merlin save my soul…"

"I'm _eleven _Joe," she reassured him, "You need to relax."

"Number two," Joseph ignored her, but he gave a small smile so she knew he'd heard what she said. He seemed so funny, trying to act serious while in reality, he was not the serious one at all; that was Larissa and, sometimes, Evan. "I know how anxious you get around others, especially strangers. There's going to be a lot of new faces at Aboriginal. Try to get to know people; don't stick to yourself too much. Or to Evan, he apparently draws in all the ladies and might not want you 'cramping his style'." Joseph looked up at his son with an idiotic smile. Brielle didn't turn to look at Evan but knew which face he was making. He always made the same _why-would-you-say-that _face whenever Joe said something like that, which included an eye roll, a slightly open mouth, and then a wide eyed glare while his hands flew to the side and dropped back down again. Brielle put her hand in the air with a finger up and pointed it backwards at the exact moment the familiar _pat _on his leg came in.

She knew him too well.

"You'll have the Sorting, plus the Banquet and Orientation… they should help with the social anxiety at first, but just...beware of the large mass of students. Third and final," he let his face soften a bit, as if he was going to cry, "we're always just an owl away. Evan is going to be there all the time. He might be working most of it, but when he's not, don't hesitate to go see him to send a letter home with Péleda." Brielle nodded and smiled, pulling the large man into a tight hug.

"Thank you," she mumbled into his ear. She often reminded her family of how thankful she was for even _sending _her to school; now, she was going _with _benefits, with her best friend/foster brother. This was a dream come true, and she was proud to be a part of this family. "Thank you…for everything."

As they released each other from the hug, Joseph let out a sniffle, though he was smiling. "Go, twits," he joked, "You're going to be late. Come now, hurry along." Her foster dad hustled his children out the door, shoving them onto the doorstep and walked them to their stop, which ended up being right at the end of their driveway. "I'll see you two later. Have fun!"

Joseph made his way back into the house rather quickly as Brielle looked up at Evan, who sat on his trunk. He was looking at a map that he'd created with his wand. Brielle sat next to him and glared at the newly inked parchment, but what she saw caused much confusion.

"Alright then," Evan said and folded the map, placing it in his pocket. He shooed Brielle off the trunk and opened it, pulling out a large metal hoop that Brielle recognized as his Opal Ring, and sat it on the ground. He pulled his wand and cleared his throat. "_Turpis e Duka,_" he commanded and, with a flick of the wrist, a small white light floated slowly from the tip of the wand to the middle of the ring, creating a large hole in the ground in the middle of it. He looked at Brielle expectantly. "Well, let's go," he said and picked up the trunk, carrying it towards the abyss that just opened up in the ground. She peered over the edge, seeing people below hustling and bustling about in a hallway filled with store entrances on either side. It looked like what Muggles called a shopping mall, though Brielle had only been to one once.

"Wait," Brielle stopped her older brother before he threw his trunk into the opening. "We're jumping through there?"

"Yes," Evan said with a large, _isn't-that-obvious?_ smile. "That's the Duka."

He threw the trunk down, not bothering to check if there was a witch or wizard beneath its target path. Evan then threw down Brielle's bag and looked at her, tucking his hands into his pockets. "When you get about three meters from the bottom, you'll slow down. Just make sure that you're aimed feet first so you can land properly." Brielle stood at the edge of the circle, peering down at the two pieces of luggage at the bottom of the hole. She was seriously having second thoughts about the whole shopping thing… she didn't like it in the first place, and now she had to plunge to her death in order to get to the place where she had to do it. For _school_, no less.

Eh, who was she kidding? She'd do _anything_ if it meant she could go to Aboriginal.

"Weren't you the one in the hurry?" he asked, most likely with that idiotic smirk he got when he thought he was right, as she stood still on the edge. She stared at the bottom, not wanting to jump. She felt Evan walk up slowly behind her but didn't turn around. "You'd better go now before Dad realizes the broom is gone," Evan whispered in her ear, and she smiled up at him quickly. His right eyebrow twitched as he stood upright and crossed his arms, waiting for her to jump.

She happily hopped over the edge, though about half a second after, she realized what she'd done and began to scream in fear. Brielle held her hands over her eyes - but what that would do to protect her, she wasn't sure - and fell through the air, feeling gusts of wind rushing past her face and clothes. Right as she thought it was the end, the wind stopped and she felt herself come to a sudden halt, churning her stomach a bit. She removed her hands and realized Evan was right; she had slowed to a crawl within the air as she readjusted herself to land feet first. When her toes hit the ground, all her weight suddenly shifted onto her feet, and she lurched backward, falling to her bum. She popped up right away and looked around, though no one seemed to notice her sudden appearance. Evan came down right behind her, laughing and clutching his stomach for air.

She snarled back at him, "Don't laugh at me." When he didn't stop, she added, "I'd make a scene but we're in public. You're lucky."

"Then I guess I'm _extra _lucky, because I lied about the broom, too," he said quickly and quietly, as if he wished she didn't hear him, but she did. She heard him quite clearly, in fact. And he was right about one thing; he was_very _lucky they were in public. Though she wouldn't actually make a scene or anything, she'd probably interrogate him until her face turned red and smoke came from her ears. She wanted more than anything to fly, and he knew that. It was rough that he took the trick as far as to say he had the broom.

He stopped smiling immediately at her facial expression, and she crossed her arms as they walked throughout the hallway. Brielle shook off her annoyance pretty quickly, as today was too big a day to ruin with some tomfoolery, and looked from store to store. There were ones for pets, for brooms, for cloaks, for food; everything that one could imagine was in this place. People were walking around in robes and pointed hats, some wearing the Aboriginal school uniform and some wearing what seemed like normal Muggle clothes. There were families roaming around the shops as well as pairs of people. There was even a first year with a long roll of Parchment and a quill. He was looking around, lost as anything, and seemed like he wasn't with anyone who could help him. He certainly had his hands full.

"Evan," Brielle tugged her foster brother's sweater. He looked down with an eyebrow raised. "I don't suppose he needs help? Where are his guardians?"

They passed the boy as Evan spoke evenly, "Some parents don't want to come, like Dad, because it's too sad. Or they just don't feel like it… some kids are Muggleborn, like me, and it's how Ma and Dad raised you, actually, like a Muggleborn. But Muggles can't see or enter the Duka. It's why Ma didn't take off work to come."

Brielle left the subject alone as they walked, thinking of how having two Muggle parents but being a wizard must be difficult. At least she has a foster father who was a wizard.

"Wands," Evan muttered as they walked. They had passed a few wand shoppes on their walk, though he hadn't thought any of them were good enough, she guessed. "Ah, there it is," he said with a smile as he led her to a tiny entryway. She raised an eyebrow, as the doors were big enough for an ant but not much more. "_Habeo nummus_," Evan said quietly to the doors, and they grew to about three times the size of the Evan.

"What was that charm?" the girl asked, but Evan laughed.

"It's the code word for the shoppe. It means 'I have money' in Jed's world." He pushed through the door without much more of an explanation, but one was not really needed.

The sight inside the shop made Brielle gawk in wonder. The emporium-like room had six walls, each of which were lined with hundreds of wands. The most expensive ones seemed to be in the freestanding displays on the floor and middle rows of the walls, while the cheapest - with the price decreasing as one looked up or down - sat everywhere else. The building must have been stories upon stories tall because Brielle wasn't able to see an end to a few of the ladders that were attached to the shelves.

"Jedikiah!" Evan shouted, making Brielle jump. He smiled as a small, pudgy man across the room sparked to attention. The man looked up from his paperwork, revealing a slightly lazy eye behind tiny glasses that looked like they were going to snap at any second. They actually looked like they hurt because they were squeezing the sides of his head. He really did need a larger pair… Patches of white hair sprouted randomly atop his head, which was shiny and reflective anywhere hair was absent.

"Ah, Evan, my boy," the merry little man said. He was even smaller than Brielle was, though possibly five or six times her age; she couldn't tell. Brielle smiled awkwardly at the man who had to look almost straight up at her to see her eyes. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I'd like you to fix up my sister here with a wand, if you may," he said and clapped her shoulder, making her flinch again as she tried to avoid eye contact with the strange little man and his too-small glasses. As much as she hated to admit it, Joseph was right; she suffered from a pretty bad case of social anxiety. Apparently it was supposed to go away with age, though it had become worse over the past few years.

"Brielle, yes?" Jedikiah peered over the tops of his glasses at the girl, examining her from head to toe; her sweater over top of a dress-shirt with the sleeves rolled up for both tops, and her jeans that were tucked neatly into her dark brown combat boots. "I've got just the wand for you. Wait here, lass."

After disappearing on top of one of the ladders for a good ten minutes, Jedikiah returned with three or four boxes, each of which, she expected, contained a different kind of wand. It wasn't like shoe shopping, after all; there wasn't four different wands and they each came in a size for someone, wands were all entirely unique and if it didn't feel balanced, you picked a different one.

"Try this one," Mini Glasses pulled a dark, mahogany colored wand with a handle that was a twist of three different types of vines. She smiled at the simple design, but when it was placed in her hand, she didn't like the feel to it; it wouldn't settle in comfortably. She asked Evan what she was supposed to do to test it, though she didn't want to.

"Wave it a little… Like I showed you for _stupefy_," Evan explained and pulled a foam object out of his trunk. "Hit it." He really _was _prepared for everything. Brielle readied herself, facing the foam cylinder. She knew fully well that this was the first possibly successful spell she was attempting, as the others with her mother's old wand hadn't even sparked. She twirled the wand and tried to find a comfortable way to grip it, and, when she couldn't, she cast the spell anyways.

"_Stupefy_," she commanded loudly and clearly, but the wand was obviously not for her; it flipped up in the air with a crackle of energy as she shot backwards into Evan. Luckily, he was ready, and he caught her before either of them fell to the ground. The wand clammered on the floor near her tos. Brielle let out a sigh, and she picked the wand up from her feet to give back to Jedikiah. He traded her for a new one, this one with a sleek gray and black handle, the colors swirling around themselves. The shape was thin and mundane, with finger grooves cut out on the handle and no transition wood between the handle and the tip. The whole wand felt… Familiar. She grinned to herself at the feel of this one in her hand, as it was more comfortable and balanced. She pointed herself back at the Styrofoam cylinder.

She took a deep breath and cast, "_Stupefy_." A faint tingling sensation rushed in and flooded her limbs as she watched a thick red light shoot towards the cylinder. The light knocked it off the stand immediately, making Brielle feel proud of herself. She smiled at Evan, who was already smirking at her with his arms crossed over his chest; triumphant, almost. Jedikiah clapped his hands, drawing only Brielle's attention. Evan's eyes stayed locked on his little sister.

"I guess that's the one, then," Jedikiah beamed and put the other three test wands on a rack labeled _return_. He then moved behind a counter and stepped up on a stool, peeking his head over the top. Evan paid him for his services, and Brielle examined the wand she had chosen more closely. She glared at it for a long time, then felt the familiar presence of her mother's wand in her boot.

_Of course!_ Brielle thought and pulled the older wand out as Evan began to walk away.

"Um, sir," Brielle stammered as Jedikiah began to read some sort of paperwork. He looked up from his desk with a smile, then frowned when he looked at the second wand.

"Where'd you get that?" he asked rather seriously and moved around from behind the desk to stand in front of her, "Why, I haven't seen this in years… I sold this wand a while back. To a Hawkins girl, I can't remember which… There _were _three of them." He looked guilty almost, like he knew which he'd sold it to but didn't want to say anything. "How'd you end up with it?"

"This was my mother's wand," Brielle explained with a smile. At least now she knew _something _about it other than it was just a piece of wood that used to function. "That's all I wanted to know, was if you've made this one."

"Yes, the one you've got now is the later model of this one here. I wasn't going to redo the design but now I'm glad I did. You may not have found your wand today, Miss Hawkins."

"Elle," Evan said, walking back into the store. How had he not noticed she was gone for that long? "What are you doing?" His eyes quickly drifted to her mother's wand and his face blanked. She knew that he understood how much this meant to her; she had told him several times that she felt connected to it and wanted to find its maker.

"Sorry for the trouble, sir," Brielle stammered and let Evan lead her out. Jedikiah called something after them, what she assumed was either a "no problem" or an "it's okay" - which one, she couldn't tell. Evan and she carried their luggage around the stores for a while, looking for the library for schoolbooks. Once they found it, they got in and out quickly, as each section of the library was separated for the year that one was in school. The books were already bundled; Brielle just grabbed one for first years and paid, and off they went.

Once they got all of the necessary supplies, Evan smirked down at Brielle as they walked. "You ready to go to Aboriginal?" The girl cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"Not if we're going skydiving again," she warned, but Evan just laughed and told her to take out the tie. She did so and held it firmly in her grasp as they continued to walk. They finally reached a separate section of the Duka, where there were a lot of students and just as many parents: The Grand Central Courtyard. Some of the students, the older ones, were separated by the colors of their ties; there were five different ties in all.

The first was a dark brown fabric with a thin red border around the outside of it and some sort of red crest inlaid on the bottom, on the thickest part of the tie. The students with these ties were in a corner of the large room and all the kids were without parents, regardless of their age. They seemed rather crude, as none of them - not even the girls - had their shirts tucked in and some had sleeves rolled up, others had their ties loose around their necks. The other students without brown ties all seemed relatively decently dressed, though there were a mix of colors around the room.

The second different tie Brielle spotted was light gray with a deep orange border and crest, just like the brown ties - except this crest was a little different. She couldn't make out specifics, though she knew it wasn't exactly the same. There was something different in the middle of it that made it stand out. Another tie was a deep purple with a subtle yet bright green border and crest, and the fourth was bright blue with a golden yellow border and similar crest. All of them were different, if only slightly, but it was noticeable. Everyone with a color around their neck seemed to be older and knew what they were doing, while the younger kids with white ties stuck to their parents and siblings, if they had them. If not, they would wander aimlessly until they found themselves in a tiny group by the opposite corner as the brown-tied students.

"So the tie is the house," Brielle connected the dots as she looked up at Evan, who was greeting a few people as they walked through the crowd. She, in a sense, already knew that about the tie; the colored tie was part of the uniform at Aboriginal. However, she didn't realize the tie was what _sorted _her.

"Right," he said, "Took you long enough, Slim."

She smirked as a group of girls with gray ties strolled past the two of them. All four girls looked up and said, "Hi, Professor Madrack," at once, and when he responded with a cheerful _hello ladies_, they all giggled and scuttled away. Brielle rolled her eyes. Was he seriously _that _teacher, the one everyone found charming? She thought Joseph had been joking. Naturally, it would be him, though; who was she kidding? If he wasn't her brother, she'd probably think the same thing; he had nice hair that she was rather fond of, clear gray eyes, and he was most likely one of the youngest teachers at Aboriginal. Roger, the day he dropped her with the Madracks, said he was _the _youngest.

"Seriously?" Brielle asked, clutching her white tie. Evan just smirked and shrugged, then continued to greet people.

After about ten minutes of waiting for her tie to change color - but to no prevail - Brielle heard a large, booming voice create a gradual silence over the crowd. "Can I have your attention, please?" bellowed a tall, strong woman who seemed just a little older than Evan. She had long, black hair and wore an outfit that looked much like that of the students, except hers was more professional; a dark gray dress shirt with a black tie with a white crest on it, the shirt tucked into her matching gray skirt. She also had a black blazer with only one button done in the middle so Brielle could still see the colors of the shirt and tie, but nothing more than the color of each garment. The woman stood on a few trunks and pieces of luggage in the middle of the room, and a circle of people formed around her. Brielle noticed that even the seemingly rebellious brown-ties had stepped up and joined the ring.

"Headmistress Lofaro," Evan whispered to Brielle, who nodded as she turned her attention to the newly understood Headmistress. The room fell completely silent.

"Thank you. Now, welcome back once more, everyone. I see a few professors among the students, thank you for volunteering as supervisors. I also still see guardians among us." She glared around the room at some of the adults before continuing, "Please say your goodbyes and leave. There's much to do." Well, that was a little rough.

Brielle glanced around the room at the children saying their goodbyes to their parents and guardians, and some to younger siblings. The white-ties, who she assumed were all first years, took a bit longer to say goodbye and then looked around absently once their family was gone. As the last of the adults and small children fled the room, the students and professors gathered tighter, leaving a slightly smaller circle of people than before. There were still a _lot _of students, though. She now could make out more white ties than she could before the "unwanted" witches and wizards left.

Brielle looked around and saw that all of the first years had their ties around their necks, whether they were formally tied or just draped or knotted. She pulled hers around her neck quickly, looping it up and around lazily to somewhat match the others. Evan looked down and chuckled, then turned Brielle to face him to fix her tie. He gave her an amused look, and she smiled back. She _should _be offended that he was making fun of her, but she was only 11. How was she supposed to know how to tie a tie?

There were a few whispers and laughs from a group to her left, and she peered at the brown-tied students. They were far enough away that she could hardly make out anything they were saying, though she was close enough to tell that they were saying _something _while Headmistress Lofaro was. One boy standing near the front particularly caught her eye. Even though she considered herself a stretch, he was rather tall himself - taller than Brielle, it seemed. With dull blue eyes and a freckled face, the boy looked young, but he was already housed so he must've been somewhat older. He reminded her of Connor from Continental, but she knew it wasn't. It couldn't be, right?

Brielle tuned the Headmistress out quickly; she knew who he was, but couldn't put a name to the face. His shirt not tucked and his brown tie loose, he smirked as one of his buddies cracked a joke - probably at the Headmistress's speech. Some of the students laughed, but the first years closer to the group looked around anxiously to find somewhere to move. When another student next to the boy saw Brielle looking, he nudged him on the shoulder and nodded towards her. His eyes drifted from the Headmistress to the girl, and his face went slack, then contorted to an expression of confusion. Brielle's eyes widened as she looked back at the Headmistress quickly, trying not to draw any more attention to herself from the familiar boy. She could still feel his glare searing into her cheek, but she forced herself to listen to the speech.

" - separate by year," she heard as she tuned back in, "Seventh and sixth years, you're in front. Go back by year. First years," the Headmistress continued, signaling to the white tie holders and wearers, "You're after the sixth years so we ensure all of you go." The students did as they were told, taking their luggage to a communal area. Brielle watched first years follow the others and place their luggage in the large pile, so she decided to do the same. Her and Evan walked and also put their things on the mound of bags. She hoped there was a way to figure out whose things were whose, because her bag matched about five others in the accumulation of luggage. The students then began to wander around, grouping themselves by age. The first years found themselves in the middle somewhere, looking for the fifth and sixth years to move between.

"I'll see you on the other side," Evan said and clapped her shoulder, leading her towards the other first years. Brielle stopped dead in her tracks at the numerous amounts of students and turned on her heel to walk away. Evan grabbed her arm quickly and pulled her back in front of himself. "Elle, you'll be fine, I promise. Stay with someone who seems outgoing. It's easier when they do all the talking." Brielle swallowed hard at the advice and nodded, then gave her brother a quick hug. She took a few deep breaths as Evan bolted upright, shouting, "Chase and Andrea, stop with the snogging!" There was a small trail of snickers, sneers, and laughter as Evan raced to the corner of the room, the two gray-and-orange-ties who were out of line separating quickly.

Brielle glared back at the thick line of students, making her way towards the group that was out of uniform. They were all wandering around; some already in small, clique-like groups; the others straggling, as she was. In search of the most outgoing first year, Brielle's eyes locked on her target.

There was a girl standing across the room chatting with another first year. His back was facing Brielle, so she couldn't get a good look at him, but she could easily tell what the small girl looked like. Her long blonde hair was slicked back into a braid that seemed even tighter than the one Brielle wore on her own head. Her eyes were a shocking green and radiated clearly across the crowd of students. She was rather short, probably a whole head shorter than the boy she was with, but seemed peppy and outgoing enough. Brielle strolled over awkwardly as the girl's gaze shifted beside the boy and settled on her. She gave a large smile as Brielle returned it with a small one and tried to avoid eye contact, but it was difficult. She really _did _want to meet this girl, but her anxiety seemed to be getting in the way. As always.

"Well, hello," the blonde beamed and stuck her hand out to shake, "I'm Cameron, Cameron Ramos. You are?"

_Nervous_, Brielle thought as she shook the hand warily, but then actually said, "I'm, um..." She blanked on her name for a moment and guessed the pause was enough for Cameron to begin talking again.

"Wait, you're the girl who was with Professor Madrack, are you not?"

"Well, yes," Brielle stammered, "he's my - "

"How do you know him already? How'd he give you a bloody _hug?_ Isn't that a tad strange for a professor?" Cameron questioned, beaming towards the anxious girl's foster brother, who was leaning against the wall and speaking with the Headmistress.

"He's my brother," Brielle decided to get in a few words before Cameron began speaking again. It wouldn't do well for Brielle to go through the school year not having a name. "I'm Brielle Hawkins."

"Hawkins?" Cameron's attention directed back to the quiet girl, over to Evan, and back again. "Oh, _you're _the Hawkins I've heard of. Well, besides that anyways, blimey, how is _he _your brother?" Brielle didn't know whether to take offense to that or forget it; what was that supposed to mean?

Wait, how'd she hear of Brielle before?

She was about to ask when she got sidetracked by the line moving. In front of them, students began disappearing into some sort of hallway, or at least that was what it looked like. But no, when they neared the front of line, she realized that the thing they were going into was a fireplace looking structure. A tiny professor on a step stool - who oddly looked like a younger version of Jedikiah from the wand shoppe - held a large bucket of an ashy-white powder. The seventh year students were making their way through quickly, though Brielle couldn't see how they were leaving just yet. Whenever a student took a handful of powder and moved into the fireplace, their voice boomed out with the words "Aboriginal Main Hall," and a green light glowed on the crowd with a swoosh. The light then fled, and the next student was up.

As the first years approached even closer to the front of the line, Brielle's height gave her an advantage over the other first years and she could see the scene to its full effect. After throwing the powder, the student was engulfed in a large, green flame, and then disappeared with a few wisps of ash left behind. They were burning the students? Was this supposed to be a _fun _way to reach school?

"Relax," another white-tie - this one the boy that Cameron had spoken to before - bumped into her arm as he saw the terrified expression on her face. Brielle realized that it was the boy who was simply wandering around earlier without parents. "Have you ever traveled through the Floo Network before?"

Brielle shook her head quickly and looked at the eye-level student. His auburn hair resembled her own, though his was naturally ruffled and messy. His eyes faded from blue to brown and back again as he examined Brielle's facial features more closely. His own face seemed rather young, as if he was younger than his actual age. The boy gave a small smirk and showed his hand to the space between them, as Cameron had.

"Tyler Jasper Barry," he said as Brielle finally shook his hand cautiously. "Most just call me TJ, though." She left her hand linked with his for about a minute as she looked everywhere but his face. Her eyes ended up locking on his nice blue sneakers that matched his eyes - when they were in fact blue - until he cleared his throat. Her eyes skirted to his baby face and she saw him raise an eyebrow expectantly at her, and then their hands.

The tense girl realized what he meant and dropped his hand as they moved forward in line. They were almost to the front. Four more students.

"Sister of the lady-pleaser, Gray Eyes?" he questioned, and Brielle sensed an Irish accent from him. She didn't like the term "lady-pleaser" but couldn't really do anything about it, as it seemed to be true. She glanced back at Evan, who was still chatting with the Headmistress, then looked back at TJ. She nodded distastefully at the question, though she couldn't help but smile on the inside at his voice. Most people she had met - today and otherwise - had either a British accent or an Australian one. She could never tell the difference. He was the first person other than herself to actually be Irish in quite a long time.

Three more students.

"You have a name?" he questioned, "I mean I _could _call you Gray Eyes all year, but you probably don't fancy that." She stared at the boy with a blank expression and wide eyes. She nodded and he smiled at her, but his eyes said _"...and?"_

"Oh," the girl stammered and smiled awkwardly, "Brielle Hawkins."

Two more students.

He paused and his smile wavered for a moment, and his eyes flickered back to brown and stayed that way until he smiled again. "Alright, Brielle," TJ responded to her smile with his own, "I travel through Floo all the time," he added half-triumphantly. His smile was more of a crooked grin, one corner of his mouth turning up while the other stayed relatively lower, and this made a single dimple on the smiling side appear. "It's easy." He pointed to the powder, "That's Floo Powder, what you do is you grab a handful and step into the fireplace, then say where you want to go as you throw the powder at the floor. It looks painful, but trust me, it's harmless."

One more student.

"I've done it_ loads_ of times," Cameron reached up and leaned an elbow on TJ's shoulder, which was only funny because he was so tall and she was… well, not so much. "the first one is tricky. You might fall on your face on the other side."

"Shush, Cam," TJ smirked, "I've got this." She held her hands up in defeat but kept a smile on her face.

"I'm giving a fair warning," she said.

No more students.

"Next," the little man running the Floo Network said cheerfully, and, to Brielle's relief, Cameron bounced to the front of the line. She turned back towards them and gave a wink, then grabbed a handful of powder.

"Aboriginal Main Hall," the blonde said clearly and confidently as she dropped the powder, a green flash of flame erupting as consequence. A trace of smoke came out of the fireplace, and the little man asked for the next first year again. Which was Brielle.

"Throw it hard and speak clearly," TJ reminded her as he gave a small nudge, and before she knew it, Brielle was shuffling towards the short professor. Like Jedikiah, the man's glasses were too small for his face and appeared as though they were going to snap. Her newfound friend TJ gave an encouraging nod towards the powder as a second line opened in front of the adjacent fireplace, the professors herding the second and third years to it. Another coldren station was set up behind hers, and she saw the blue eyed, brown-tied boy step in first.

He was gone quickly, and the next brown-tie went as the professor in front of her said, "Alright lass, in you go." She swallowed hard and looked around for Evan, who was aiding the third and second years. She sighed and closed her eyes tight.

"Aboriginal Main Hall," she spoke as clearly as possible, though not as loudly as Cameron had, and dropped the powder. Suddenly, a strong yet harmless heat raced around her body as the insides of her eyelids were tinted green, and when she opened them, she saw darkness all around her except for a single stream of light racing towards her quickly, growing as it neared. She lurched forward as the light engulfed her and fell to her knees, her glasses flying off her face and landing across the room. She coughed up chimney dust as she crawled around, feeling for her thick-rimmed spectacles. She heard a slight crunch and cringed, hoping it wasn't her glasses being stepped on.

A blinded Brielle kept crawling until she felt a firm, laced object in front of her, then another object taping the ground next to the first. She looked up at the blur of a body in front of her, and her glasses were placed gently on her face. She looked back to the ground, not looking at the student in front of her. When a hand was placed in front of her face, she was required by social protocol - which she despised but ran parts of her life by - to take it and allow the person to help her up. When her gaze shifted upwards, she saw a dark brown tie, a red border and crest, and an untucked shirt beneath it.

Brielle held her breath and swallowed hard. The student - a boy, evident by the slacks rather than a skirt - cleared his throat. He asked slowly, "Are... Are you okay?"

Her head moved up, but her eyes avoided his face still. She was afraid of who it was. "Yes, quite. Thank you," she said and finally looked at his face. She had good reason to be scared of who it was, as it was the sandy-haired boy who she couldn't name. She squinted at his face, as her glasses were a bit shattered and crooked, so she couldn't make out all of his features in one plane. It was as if she was looking at his face through a kaleidoscope. She could tell it was him, though, that was for sure.

"Your glasses," he frowned and took a step back, pulling a wand from his belt. He pointed it at her face and she moved her hands instinctively to protect herself. He lowered his wand and furrowed his brow. She apologized silently and he went on to cast the spell. "_Oculus Reparo_." With a flick of his wrist, a crackle erupted along the lenses, fixing them immediately with a slight whip to the end of the repair, fixing any minor imperfections the lenses held. She now had a solid view of the entirety of his face rather than eight partial views of it. Seeing only one head was a curse and a blessing, as her glasses were fixed, but it was he who had fixed them.

"Thank you," Brielle smiled as her hands moved to her spectacles, readjusting them a bit. She looked back down at the ground, trying to figure out where she'd seen him before.

"Anything for an old friend," the boy commented. Her eyes shot up to his face and examined it more closely. Old friend? She _knew _he'd been familiar! Now, who was he exactly… She eyed him warily, trying to figure out where she'd known him from. Memories with this boy were rushing back to her, she remembered eating meals with him and swimming, but where?

The table next to her bed.

No, he'd been adopted a long, long time ago. The chances were slim to none.

She opened her mouth to say something to the boy, to try and get a clue as to who he really was, but another voice overshadowed her own. "Students, please gather round," Headmistress Lofaro announced, and their attention shifted to her immediately. The boy looked back at Brielle and smirked.

"I'll see you around, Bri," he said mysteriously, and, as he was walking away, he turned and said, "Maybe you'll be sorted into Voras like I was last year. We can catch up from when I left."

She began to walk towards the group of first years when she started to ponder what had just happened. _Last year? _He was a second year now, then. She only formerly knew one person a year older than herself, but it had been over five years ago at Continental… Left? _Wait, _she stopped in her tracks, eyes widened, _of course it's him._

It was the only way to make it all fit together. The sandy hair and the memorable blue eyes could make a lasting impression on anyone, coupled with his standard blank expression, like when he first saw her across the room. The way he always left his hair ruffled, ever since they were children, the way he called her _Bri _rather than the seemingly popular _Elle _from Evan… A second year, just a year older than herself. And _pick up from when he left_? There was that single boy she knew from Continental, and he in fact had left a year and a half before she was introduced to the Madracks. Her sole friend, the only decent connection to her childhood other than the ratty house she grew up in with fourteen other children.

_Connor_.


	3. 2 : It's Housing Time

**Chapter 2: It's Housing Time**

**A/N: Howdy Hody Doober! Alright so this is chapter 2, and again, it's a long one. I hope you like it so far, and the next chapters to come, and the last chapter(s) that I've posted. Again, shoutout to T and R for editing for me, without you two, I don't think I'd be as far as I am! Thank you both so much! (I feel like I'm accepting a Grammy or something)**

**~J**

The Headmistress always seemed to find herself on top of trunks, though Brielle wasn't sure who in their right mind would allow someone to stand on their luggage like that. There could be valuable things in there, after all. Then again, she_was _the one who ran the school, so she probably got her way quite often.

"Welcome to the Main Hall," her voice boomed over the crowd, which fell silent automatically, "Line up by house with your Head, and then separate yourselves by year within the line. Heads, lead your houses to your corresponding Lumé. I would like all Prefects to meet with Professor Madrack and myself immediately to discuss your duties before retreating to your housemates. First years…" she examined the room with a comfortably annoyed look on her face, "Group with each other again until the older students sort themselves."

Brielle watched the hustle and bustle of the students as they grouped themselves by house, each line separated by color of tie and lined up in front of a different professor. She guessed that each house had a certain _professor,_ not student, who acted as the Head of Household. Those with the purple and green ties were mostly males, with the occasional girl mixed in; Drakonas. She wanted to be there, in the line with the athletes, more than anything.

But Connor was in Voras, and she _did _wish to be housed with him. He was the best connection to her childhood, and she wasn't ready to let that go. Then again, if they weren't housed together, maybe they'd still be able to be friends. To her understanding, the classes were grouped by year, so first and second years were together, then third through seventh years had their own classes after that. They'd be in some of the same classes for this year, at the very least.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a deep, almost terrifying voice over her shoulder. "Let's move, miss," Brielle's hands began to shake at the intimidating voice as she glanced behind her nervously, but saw a familiar face glaring back. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as she rolled her eyes at her new friend. Brielle shoved his arm, and he grasped it and let out a pretend hiss of pain as she walked away.

He stepped quickly after her. "Is this what I can expect now that we're partners?" TJ questioned, trying to catch up as Brielle walked towards the larger group of first years who looked lost. Although he was as tall, his legs weren't as long as her own, so she could outstep him easily. She spun around and began to walk backwards.

"And when exactly did I say we're partners?" she shot back with a small smile. His hands flew up in the air in fake-surrender and smiled the sideways grin again.

"And she speaks," he announced, "Ladies and gentleman, she has a voice!" Brielle rushed up to him and covered his mouth, but he kept yelling. What he was saying, though, was muffled, so it was alright. When he finally stopped shouting, he pushed her hand away and began to laugh. She followed him into the seemingly endless crowd of white ties with a laugh of her own as the last of the older kids filed into their lines. One kid near the middle of the crowd was speaking cockily about his "knowledge of Aboriginal" and how "it really wasn't all that special".

"_Not all that special_?" Cameron challenged him as Brielle and TJ joined her.

"Yeah," he shot back with an attitude. His hair was cut short over his head and his skin was pale and sickly. He was a tad bit overweight for an eleven year old, though he was average height, and he smelt oddly of sausages. "I've seen places loads more impressive than this piece of trash. Not like the sorry shop your father owns, Ramos - "

"Hey, watch it Cooper," TJ cut in, "Mr. Ramos sells _the _best brooms in the world."

"Oi, Carmen, you've got your boyfriend fighting your battles now?" the kid, Cooper, as TJ had called him, said snobbishly. He stepped forward and came nose to nose - or nose to _chin _- with Cameron.

"It's Cameron," she growled. They stood that way for a while, and Cooper seemed to gain a small posse behind him the longer they stood there.

"He smells like meat," Brielle whispered to TJ, and there were a few sneers from the crowd, including the two boys who seemed like they were his main sidekicks. The kid stopped and glared at Brielle.

"And _who _are _you_?" he rumbled and approached Brielle. "Wait, you're the Hawkins girl." She nodded smally, but didn't back down, despite her anxiety. Cooper smiled crudely, "I'm Zach Cooper. It's a pleasure."

"I wish I could say the same to you," Brielle cocked her head to the side while the crowd gave an _oooh_. He snarled and backed off.

"Whatever. You'd better watch yourself. Don't want to align with the wrong people." He turned on his heel and walked to the other side of the group. A few eyes were on Brielle, and some whispers were flying, but she was too happy that she hadn't backed down to care. TJ congratulated her as people began to go back to their own business.

"That was brilliant," he told her, "I didn't think you had that in you!" Brielle just shrugged and looked back at Cameron. She was staring around the giant room they were in.

Cameron gawked at the room, which Brielle had been too busy with her glasses and Zach Cooper and the Drakonas line to notice. "All this… Under the Muggles' feet and they don't even know it. And this is less than _half _of it all."

This must have been the Main Hall, Brielle assumed. Lighting the room, large and small orbs of heatless fire floated in the space above and around the students. She knew they were heatless because one bumped into Brielle's back and it didn't burn her at all. There were four large holes in the ground, each one sustained by stones inside and built into a ledge around the outside. In the middle of the holes sat rather thick logs, finishing the bonfire scenery. Hanging high over top of each bonfire swayed a banner with a different crest and color pattern, the same as the ties held. In the middle of the room hung a white banner with a black crest - the one the Headmistress had on her tie - and, underneath of it, four black bowls sat on four pedestals. One large gold bowl was in the middle of it all, and it was large enough that Brielle could fit comfortably inside, if she tried to. Which she wasn't going to do.

She looked back at the unlit campfires, as there wasn't much of another place to look, and Cameron spoke up, which made her flinch. Brielle had forgotten she and TJ were there. "Those are the Lumés for each house," she informed Brielle. Each one looked exactly the same, other than the banner flying over it.

All of the lines of students were finally in order and making their way to each Lumé. "Alright," a different voice, this one belonging to a man, shouted over the first years. Only some looked up at the man, who was very, very tall and very, very skinny. And hairy. He was very hairy; not just on his head but more so on his arms and face. If he was _something_, he seemed to be very much of it. The man - who Brielle assumed was a professor of sorts - clapped his hands and all of the first years fell silent, the rest of them looking straight up at him. Something about the way he said _alright_ made Brielle feel like she'd met him before, though she was certain she'd remember meeting a nine foot man.

He smiled an uncomfortable smile at the students and said, "I'm going to ask you to form a single file line, horizontal, facing the Center Ring." Each of the students looked at one another, confused, and Brielle suddenly realized that this was the voice TJ had spoken in to scare her before. She stared wide-eyed at the boy, who simply smirked without needing to look at her to know she was watching. She focused back on the professor.

"Gather 'round the bowls," he mumbled, and the first years did so, somehow managing to file into a neat semicircle around the scene. The professor let out a sigh as another voice echoed through the room.

"Forza, paz e sabedoría," the now familiar voice of the Headmistress boomed across the Main Hall, "Welcome once more, everyone, and an especially warm welcome to our newest class of first years." There was an eruption of applause across all four Lumés, and the Headmistress held her hands up, calming the cheers. "We will commence with the Housing Ceremony, as per tradition, after a few announcements and introductions, as I'm sure you're all eager to settle in."

The long and straight haired woman peered across the students and gave a small smile. "My name is Professor Abbey Lofaro. In case you haven't figured it out yet, first years, I am the Headmistress of the Aboriginal School of Indigenous Magic. I have been so for the past seven years, since I was 20 and fresh out of college, so I must be doing something right." She turned to the lineup of teachers across the back of the room and removed herself from the pedestal, walking among them. She paused in front of each, mentioning their name and the class they teached, club they ran, or house they headed. Brielle only paid attention to the heads of houses as well as Evan's introduction. She also kept her ears open for the Flying instructor and the Gamekeeper.

There was one especially infatuating introduction that Brielle noticed, mostly because the professor seemed to be a bird. No, not seemed; he _was _a bird. "Professor Wren Howe," Lofaro gestured to the feathered friend next to her, then looked at him and let out a sigh, probably realizing that he was a Macaw. "Seriously?" she asked it, and the bird held a wand in its foot. There was a squawk, and then a flash of light from the wand. A professor grew from the bird with a large smile on his face, which was underneath a short, shaggy blonde beard to go with his long, shaggy blonde hair. He was rather attractive, with a younger looking face and a fit physique, making Brielle wonder why _Evan_ was the one the girls chased. Why not Professor Howe?

"Sorry, Professor," he apologized with a northern American accent or something of the sorts.

The Headmistress continued with a roll of her eyes, "Wren Howe. Transfigurations professor and Head of Ara." The students with the blue and yellow ties cheered exceptionally loud, so Brielle thought it was safe to bet that they were members of the Ara house. "Also, newly stated head of music." The group cheered again, and the Headmistress was onto the next professor.

"Merlin, I'd best not be in Ara," TJ whispered, and he bumped into her arm. She raised an eyebrow as she turned her head to look at the boy. He leaned back and looked at her as she leaned back, too. He showed a single dimple as he smirked. "What? I'm not one for the whole theatrical crowd."

Brielle glared back at the group of blue and yellow tied students curiously and wondered if they were _all _talented in theatre. She certainly hoped not; she'd never been one for music, so listening to them sing and "perform" in the hallways wouldn't be the most enthralling thing that could happen.

After the Headmistress finished introducing all of the professors for this term, she returned to her place at the podium. For the first time all day, it seemed, she wasn't standing on someone's luggage. "Let's have a round of applause for our first years, everyone," Headmistress Lofaro clapped her hands slowly, and all of the houses and professors applauded in the same manner, making Brielle a bit uncomfortable. She glanced to the group of brown-tied students, who, from their intense clapping after the introduction of Professor Morrison, she realized were Voras. She looked for Connor, who was already staring back at the girl. Her face reddened as he gave her a quick wink, and she turned back to listen to the Headmistress as the clapping stopped.

"I know you're all eager to be housed, so let's begin," her hands folded together as the first years readjusted themselves, Brielle shifting from one foot to the other. She was so nervous; the next seven years of her life were based on this, the housing ceremony. "Professor Madrack, if you'd please."

The anxious first year tried to hide her wide smile as Evan stepped up to the pedestal. He cleared his throat, and a small group of the girls next to Brielle giggled and looked at each other. Some of the oldest girls who were already seated wiggled their eyebrows at each other while a lot of the guys sat back and rolled their eyes, like they were too cool for him. Brielle's smile faded instantly and was replaced by a look of disgust before Cameron nudged her with an elbow.

"You alright?" she whispered, and Brielle nodded reluctantly as her foster brother began speaking. She hated this stupid _all-the-girls-love-him _thing.

"Sorting is rather simple, though you should probably listen up so you know what to do when you're up. First, take your place in the middle urn and make sure your tie is on properly. None of this rebellious tie-draped-around-the-neck crap." He eyed Voras, and snickers and sneers came from the girls and boys of the house. "Once you've done that, you'll find four bowls around you filled with Vanduo, each the color of one house. There will be a cup above each bowl of it. Dip the cup into the bowl and take a quick swig of each. Try not to take breaks in between, or else it'll make it worse. Any questions?"

Cameron's hand shot straight up in the air, though it seemed pretty straightforward to Brielle. Evan smiled and pointed to her. She began to speak loudly and clearly, so the entire room could hear her. "What do you mean it'll 'make it worse'?"

Evan gave a small, sly smirk and simply said, "You'll see."

Headmistress Lofaro stepped back to the podium and grabbed a piece of parchment that Brielle hadn't noticed before. Her wand turned into a quill as she lifted the parchment closer to her face. She looked to Evan, who smiled, and handed him the scroll and quill. He stood a few feet behind the bowls and announced, "First, Hunter Boyle."

A rather short, thin boy from the middle of the line made his way nervously to the Center Ring, all eyes on him. He anxiously stepped over the edge of the largest brass bowl in the middle, and four small cups appeared as promised, floating above the Vanduo. He looked around at the four colored liquids and went for the gray one first. Brielle guessed that he wished to be housed with the gray and orange ties if he began there. He took a large gulp of the liquid, but dropped the cup on the ground immediately and began to cough. He was reminded by the Headmistress to continue, and he quickly took a small drink of the other three liquids. The boy coughed for quite a while, and Brielle suddenly knew what Evan meant by _worse._

After his coughing fit, Hunter Boyle's face turned a deep shade of red, beginning at his forehead and making it's way down to his cheeks, then his chin and neck. The white tie that lied loosely around his shirt tightened a bit, then flicked rather violently - Brielle thought she saw it hit him in the face. When it fell back to settle on his chest, it faded into the clean gray and orange pattern as the others from the house wore. He took a huge, deep breath and let out a shriek that made everyone cover their ears; it was terrifying. Like a fox. His hands slammed over his mouth and, eyes wide, looked at his tie. He dropped his hands and smiled triumphantly.

The entire house of gray ties stood from their benches as Evan shouted, "Hunter Boyle, Raposo!" The house erupted into cheers and hollers as the boy retreated from the urn and was escorted to his house's Lumé by the head of Raposo, Professor Yule. Hunter was greeted with handshakes and a few pats on the back as he took his place among his housemates.

"Next," the Evan continued once Hunter was seated and Raposo had settled down a bit, "Tyler Jaspar Barry." TJ bounced on the balls of his feet as Cameron whispered good luck. He strutted up to the urn cooly and hopped over with ease, swinging both feet in the air at once, and Brielle rolled her eyes at his overconfidence. She did, however, find it interesting that when he was inside the urn, his face paled and he looked around nervously, but he somehow managed to keep a small smile on his face. Obviously, he thought this was the most imperative moment for the next seven years, like Brielle did.

Then something strange happened, something Brielle didn't quite understand. TJ's eyes locked on hers, and he looked…scared. Regardless of the fact that they'd just met, she didn't think that there was anything that could scare him. She gave him a small smile and a nod of encouragement, and he gave a small nod back, looking somewhat calmer.

"Any time now, Mr. Barry," Headmistress Lofaro rushed him impatiently, and he apologized. He grabbed one of the cups and dipped it into the Vanduo. He let out a deep breath as he swallowed the brown liquid, then made his way to the other three quickly. His tie began to shake, and he squatted, elbows on his knees. He was obviously trying not to let out a noise or to cough like Hunter had. But the unavoidable did happen, and he began to cough louder than the other boy. He stood upright and tried to cover his mouth, but his tie flickered quickly and blocked his arm, smacking TJ in the face a few times, too. His hand went to his forehead rather than his mouth, and the tie began to fade into a deep purple and green.

He smiled at his tie, and then threw his head back and let out a roar like a lion mixed with some sort of monster; like a Dragon.

"Tyler Barry," Evan declared triumphantly, "Drakonas." The entire house erupted into applause and cheers as TJ took a glance at Brielle and Cameron. The blonde gave him a thumbs up, and Brielle let out a smile and a few claps. She was happy that TJ had been housed in Drakonas; he was a friend, now, and he looked happy about it, so why wouldn't she be, as well? This also intensified her desire to become a Drakonas. Now, she knew someone in the house.

A few other students took their turns; Benji Graves ended up in Raposo, Cora Mink in Voras, and the twins Thalia and Kylie Jenkins went to Ara. That Zach Cooper was also sorted into Voras, which wasn't a shock. She did have to say, she had fun seeing him cough and choke a bit. He truly did deserve it for being such a jerk.

Evan moved his finger down the parchment to Zach's name and crossed him off, then read the next name from the scroll. He cleared his throat, and the line of first years moved together to close the holes that had been made by the already housed.

"Brielle Hawkins."

Her eyes widened as she realized that she'd just been called. Brielle stood still as a statue and looked at Evan, who raised an eyebrow. She looked at the group of Voras that grew by two so far, and Connor glared at her devilishly. He gave her a small smile and a wink. Her eyes then drifted to Zach Cooper, and he crossed his arms expectantly. She could almost smell the sausage.

"Go, kid," Cameron whispered and gave her a little shove. Before she knew it, her feet were slugging across the floor and towards the urn. She stepped over cautiously, and the four cups appeared over top of the bowls of Vanduo. She looked around at the crowd of students who were anxiously watching, and her eyes locked with TJ's at the Drakonas Lumé. He gave her a small nod, and she returned it - just as they had when_ he _was about to drink the liquid. Now their roles were reversed, and she was more nervous than ever. Cameron gave her a smile and a reassuring look, which she appreciated.

Brielle glared at the four bowls and took the cup over the blue liquid symbolizing Ara, as it seemed the least strange of all four. The cup was light in her hand, and she brought it to her lips slowly. Her plan was to swallow it like she'd seen Larissa do with alcohol late at night - one at a time, she would throw the liquid back quickly until all four were down. She counted in her head as she smelled the sweet scent of what seemed like fruit coming from the Ara Vanduo.

_One, two…_

Evan looked at her with wide eyes, rushing her a little bit, and she nodded.

_Three._

The liquid went back like fire, burning her esophagus as it slithered down her throat. Her body heated up and her lungs began to empty. It was difficult to breathe, but she went for the brown liquid next, shooting that one back but almost coughing it back up due to the even fouler taste. Brielle doubled over as she choked down the third, purple liquid. This is the one she wanted to work, the one she _needed _to work. She couldn't breathe and her legs buckled, making her fall to one knee, then two. She slammed her hand on the side of the urn and pressed herself back up, grabbing the last cup from the air. She dipped it into the Vanduo shakily and gulped it down. The coughing was a more intense pain than she'd ever felt in her lungs before, but after the fourth liquid was settled in her stomach, it diminished a bit. The burning went from her lungs to her gut, then a warm buzz began to flow through her body and arranged itself around her neck, where the tie laid. She looked down as the tie flew back and forth in a circle, like a helicopter almost.

The tie was tightened instantly around her neck, choking her a bit, as she watched it change color. It began darkening into an almost gray color, and Brielle began to get nervous until it shifted into a light brown, like it was trying to decide between Raposo and Voras. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut tight, thinking _Drakonas, Drakonas, Drakonas… _she opened them to her now settled down tie and saw that it had changed into a deep violet.

A smile snuck to her face as the green edges and crest began to form on the fabric. She looked up and felt a lump in her stomach, though she didn't know why, as this was exactly what she wanted. It built up and churned in her chest, then began to move up towards her throat, traveled through her esophagus and to the back of her mouth. She tried to swallow it down, but before she knew it she let out a blood-curdling roar. The lump was still there, though, even after the roar.

She heard Evan's muffled voice begin to announce her house behind the buzzing in her ears, but she began to cough again, once, twice, and on the third time, heat seared in the inside of her mouth. A large burst of heat shot across her lips, creating a fireball in the air around her head. The entire student body sounded with a large yell of fear as the fire died down. Brielle's eyes widened, as did most of the faculty's, as whispers began to fly around the room, some pointing, others giving strange glares.

"Brielle Hawkins," Evan's face was paled and his eyes far off as he choked the words out, "Drakonas." Even he was confused, fearful almost. There was silence following it, and she hopped out of the urn slowly, her foot catching on the edge. She crashed to the floor embarrassingly, but stood back up quickly and hoped no one had really noticed.

"Yeah," TJ cheered and gave a few claps. He let out a whoop as he cheered for his new housemate, "Yeah, Brielle!"

A few claps accompanied his, most from Drakonas, and one or two of the others from unplaced first years, like Cameron. Evan was among those who applauded. Brielle's face reddened severely as she sat down next to TJ, where fellow students had made a spot for her, and the Headmistress began to clap. All of the other students followed in her footsteps, clapping for Brielle slowly. She shrank into her seat as TJ's hand patted her leg. She flinched, not expecting it, but she relaxed and looked up at her newfound friend. He gave her a small nod and smile through a paled face. Her housemates didn't hide their stares, and Brielle could feel their eyes on her cheeks. But, as she looked around at everyone, some eyes flickered back to the urn while the rest couldn't look away from the girl.

It looked like TJ and Cameron would be her only friends here.

Headmistress Lofaro cleared her throat and Evan flicked the parchment, crossing Brielle's name off with his quill. His face seemed unaffected by Brielle's sudden outburst, other than the slight shake in his hand when he crossed her name out. Evan continued down the list.

"Cameron Ramos."

A boy sitting across the Drakonas Lumé sat on the edge of his seat as Cameron strode to the urn. She, too, seemed nervous, especially after Brielle's performance. Brielle watched the boy on the other side of the unlit Lumé with his hands clenched so tight around one another that his knuckles were white and his hands trembling.

"That's Jesse," TJ whispered, following her gaze to the anxious student. She recognized the boy on the other side as the one who'd first stood up to shake TJ's hand when he was housed. "Second year, Cameron's brother." Jesse had bright green eyes, much like his sister's, but that's where their resemblance ended. His skin was tan and his hair was dark brown and spiked over his head, the opposite of Cameron's. He also seemed of average height for his age - though it was hard to tell because he was sitting - whereas Cameron was very short. She was just tall enough to peek over the side of the large urn, let alone to get into it.

It took her a while to find a way in since her legs were so tiny, but when one of the professors brought over a stool, she hopped in right away. Her blonde braid was balanced in the middle of her back as the four little cups appeared in mid-air once more. She picked one out and examined it, then set it back where it was. When she seemed satisfied with the result that it hovered again, she filled one up with the gray Vanduo, placing it back in the air. It bobbed a bit, but stayed suspended. She did the same for the remaining three liquids, then went back around and collected them so she held two in each hand.

She bounced on the balls of her feet, poising her right hand under her lip so she was able to drink from both cups, then shot back each handful quickly. She began to cough immediately after she swallowed them, her face turning brighter red than Brielle's did when she was embarrassed by the fireball. The tie began to vibrate in the air, following the protocol as all the other ties had. She glanced down as the tie faded into a deep brown, shocking TJ and Brielle and, obviously, Cameron. Her face went slack as a bright red border and crest began to appear on the fabric, and she looked like she was about to cry. She looked up to TJ and Brielle, then over to her brother.

"Cameron Ramos," Evan announced, "Voras." The group of brown tied students stood up and cheered as the professor put the stool on the inside of the urn for the girl, but she stood still as a statue. The professor told her to join her house, so her feet stomped up the stairs like stones and she hopped over. She tried to have a smile on her face as she made her way over. Brielle's eyes followed her acquaintance to the Voras campsite, and she looked back to see Connor sticking his wand back into his jacket.

Clearly, she wasn't the only one who saw him.

There was a loud noise accompanying a fast movement in the corner of Brielle's eye, and Jesse brushed past her shoulder and moved quickly towards Voras.

"You," he screamed as he approached Connor, who was congratulating Cameron on her housing. Connor's dull blue eyes moved to the enraged brother, and they widened immediately when the he pulled his wand. "You did this."

"Mister Ramos," Headmistress Lofaro warned, but to no effect; he didn't stop. He marched right up to Connor and jabbed his wand under the boy's chin, pressing him into the wall. Connor smirked and stared back at Jesse.

"Did what?" he impishly asked, as if he was a child.

"Don't play victim. You did that," Jesse growled, "didn't you? You made her Voras, you little - "

"_Mister Ramos_," the Headmistress repeated, this time in a more stern and demanding voice. Jesse stopped and angrily looked up at the professor, who stood fiercely at the podium. He looked back at the kid in front of him, then back to the Headmistress. He lowered his wand, moving his eyes back to Connor. The wand was slipped back into his inside blazer pocket, and he shoved the other second year against the wall.

He backed off and turned to his sister, whose eyes were widened with fear. Cameron had seemed so confident before, but Brielle assumed she'd never seen Jesse lash out like that. He walked up to her and whispered something in his sister's ear, and she nodded in response. Jesse glared back at Connor, then made his way over to the Drakonas camp. He plopped down in his seat as Connor straightened out his still untucked shirt and loose tie, then returned to his seat, too. Cameron sat on the opposing side as the sandy-haired boy, probably per Jesse's wish.

For the rest of sorting, the room was silent other than the coughing of the first years and the cheers of the houses when a new student joined them, though they were less festive than before. And between Brielle's searing introduction and Jesse and Connor's disbuttle, who could blame them for being a little grumpy?

"Mitchell Love," Evan announced the last name as the chubby first year made his way to his new house, "Raposo." The boy was even bigger than meaty-smelling Zach Cooper, and he hobbled to his area as the Evan rolled the parchment. It disappeared the moment it was rolled completely.

"Alright," Headmistress Lofaro declared in her booming voice, as it always seems to be, "Prefects, please rise." Four of the older students from each house, most likely sixth and seventh years, rose from their seats. "First years, Prefects are the equivalency to a hall monitor during your time at Aboriginal. They are sixth or seventh year students who, on your first day, will show you around the school. The first week of class, they will be roaming the halls during and between classes to help you find your way. After the first week, they are solely for the purpose of monitoring misconduct in the hallways and late night stragglers. While some will still guide you to class upon request, they will no longer be in the halls during class periods and will be required to arrive on time to their own classes. Do not expect them to be late to their class in order to help you reach yours.

"The four Prefects from each house will now show you all to your respective common rooms. After each of you is settled and in uniform, they will lead you through the corridors and back here, where we will be holding an official Banquet for the kickoff of the school year. Second through seventh years who aren't Prefects are to go to their common rooms until it's time for the Banquet." The Headmistress paused and looked around at the campsites warily, pausing at each house's Lumé. She stopped for a particularly long time when she looked at Drakonas, pinpointing Jesse.

"I expect full cooperation with your house. There will be no fraternizing with other houses during or while waiting for the Banquet." She glared right at Jesse, whose knee was bouncing rapidly and eyes were glaring at the ground. He was clearly still angry and probably knew that she was looking right at him. When he realized she'd stopped talking, his head tilted up, but he wasn't looking at the professor; he was looking at Brielle. Her eyes lingered longer than they should have, but his green orbs locked on her gray ones. Jesse raised an eyebrow at her with a bit of an attitude and mouthed the word "what", and her face reddened as she turned her attention back to the Headmistress.

_Why did you want to be in Drakonas? _Brielle asked herself as she went to tune back into Headmistress Lofaro's speech, but the stern professor was still glaring at the Lumés, this time at Connor. She took a deep breath as she wrapped up her spiel, "Go on, now."

As the houses stood up and the Prefects began to split the first years up into groups, the second through seventh years picked up their things and moved out the door slowly. Old friends were catching up with each other, filling the hall with chatter. Brielle sat still next to TJ. She didn't want to move, didn't want to make another unintentional mistake like the fire. TJ stood up and smiled down at her.

"Let's go then," TJ cheerfully said. He looked down at her with a frown, probably remembering her anxiety, "Let's try and get a group together." He offered her a hand, which she ignored as she stood to match his height. He frowned again as other students began to swarm around them in all directions, "Brielle, I know the fire thing was… unexpected, to say the least… but this'll be fun, promise."

She raised an eyebrow, knowing it wouldn't be fun for _her_, and looked over his shoulder. Her gray eyes shot open as she saw the Headmistress approaching Drakonas. TJ turned and saw her coming, too, and he whipped back around quickly. Brielle kept her eyes locked on the professor as she pushed through the crowd gracefully and reached Jesse, who hadn't stood up from the other side of the unlit Lumé yet. She put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up sadly, probably knowing what was coming.

The Headmistress spotted Connor across the room as well, and she took Jesse with her to get him. Once they were together, they began to leave the room, until Headmistress Lofaro turned on her heel. She stared back at the Main Hall for a few minutes and Brielle got anxious, but then she turned and took the second years out. Brielle presumed that the professor was taking them to her office, though she couldn't be certain.

"He's really not a bad guy. Just protective is all," said TJ as he followed Brielle's gaze to the door. She nodded her head nonchalantly; she didn't feel like talking right now, not that she ever did anyways. She wondered if the Headmistress was going to talk to her at all about the fireball. She surely would like to know more about it and why it happened to _her_, of all people.

"Alright," four older students stood on the Lumé's stone walls, snapping Brielle out of her thoughts. The one drawing the attention to himself was very short, but built like an athlete. His arms were ripped with strength, as were all of the Drakonas Prefects' arms, but his were by far the strongest. The boy talking had bright red hair - more like orange than anything - and paled skin with a few freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks. He looked like a stereotypical Irishman, but he had an American accent. It made Brielle wonder what he was doing in Europe for school. "Here's what's going to happen. There's about thirty-six of you - " he stopped and counted quickly again, "Exactly thirty-six. It's kind of tough to keep track of all of you, so you'll split into groups. There will be four groups of nine. I'll take a group," he motioned to the two boys and one girl standing next to him, "and they will each take a group. Assemble into nines, and we'll introduce ourselves once that's done."

The first years looked around at each other and molded themselves into small groups. TJ, Brielle, and seven other boys stood in a small circle as they waited for the Prefects to join them. Most of the students were boys; there were only four first year girls throughout all 36 new Drakonas; one was in each group of nine. Brielle was somewhat happy she had a house with mostly boys, just because they didn't have any drama like girls did, and even the girls here wouldn't have much drama since they were in the athletic house, anyways. Though she _would _miss Cameron. They hadn't even known each other for very long, but she thought they would have been good friends. It also seemed like TJ and Cameron were good friends, so she wanted Cameron there for _him _at the very least.

As TJ began making friends, which he seemed to be good at doing, Brielle glanced around the room and admired it. There was this outdoorsy look and feel to it that she loved, as if they were actually at a campsite. The walls were lined with pillars and large clear windows connected them so she could see straight through to the outdoors. Outside was a large forest with all different types of trees, many of which Brielle had never seen before. To the right of the Hall, she saw the other two bonfires, holding the Ara and Raposo first years. She noticed that as students filed out, the fires shrank until they were slightly larger than a normal pit. She assumed that the more people who came from each house, the larger the bonfire grew to accommodate them all. Behind the pits, the walls were the same layout, however this side had a large lake running towards it. The sun glistened on the water beautifully, and she realized that the lake was flowing right through the bottom of the school. She wondered how that was possible, but no matter. When she looked up, there was no ceiling. Clouds floated rapidly through the perfectly blue sky, changing shape so they looked like the animals of each house.

The fiery-haired boy cleared his throat loudly, and all of the students stopped what they were doing to look at him. He gave a smirk at the power he had over the young kids and announced with a clear voice, "My name is Marcos Dayton. I'm a seventh year, the captain and Seeker for the Drakonas Quidditch team. I've been a Prefect for three years now, since before we didn't have to be seventh-years. My entire family has been housed in Drakonas, along with my brother Mickey, who is a fourth year now."

He looked at the fellow Prefect to his left. The next boy was about a foot taller than Marcos, though that made him average height, and his eyes were black. Just black. They didn't have any color around the pupils, which Brielle found odd. His hair was very nice, though; it was dark brown and spiked in the front a little bit. "I'm Shaun Farlowe. I am currently a sixth year Beater on the Quidditch team and the first of my family to be sorted into Drakonas, as the rest were and are placed in Ara." There were a few snickers among one of the groups. Shaun's eyes darted over in their direction, and the laughs stopped immediately when the once black space turned a bright green color, much brighter than Jesse's eyes. Shaun's were glowing like a firefly almost. He was about to say something until the next Prefect interrupted.

"Gemma Wilkins," the girl said quickly and sharply, placing a small hand around Shaun's wrist. He stopped and gritted his teeth as his eyes faded back to black. He seemed to calm down at her touch. Gemma seemed happy to be there, a bright smile on her face even when Shaun almost lashed out. Her dark brown - practically black - hair was parted down the middle with a messy bun at the base. She wore a thick black headband to match the black uniform sweater and blazer she wore. "Sixth year. One of two sixth year Prefects this year, since, as Marcos said, they're supposed to be all seventh-years. I was an anomaly due to my exceptional knowledge of Aboriginal." She looked over the first years proudly, as if waiting for some sort of reaction, but didn't receive one. Brielle noticed she had a very slight slur when she spoke her "s". She cleared her throat and continued, "Also, the first of my family to be a Drakonas, since I'm the only one who's attended school here. The rest went to Hogwarts, but when we moved to Wexford I came here. I'm the assistant captain on the Quidditch team and a Chaser. I run the tutoring sessions in the Reference Center due to my photographic memory. I also help with training in the Fitness Room after class hours - "

"Yeah, cool, Gem," the seemingly impatient boy to her right rolled his eyes jokingly as he faked a yawn. She elbowed him in the side, and he laughed, showing his insanely white teeth. The seventh year had spiked brown hair that came to a point in the middle. "Okay," he clapped, "I'm Grey Torres...um," he clapped again, "Some things about me...I'm a seventh year, I have ADHD, and no matter what I say now, it won't compare to the layout Gemma and the others just gave you... so I'm about done here." Grey leaned forward and smiled at Marcos, whose fingers were pinching his forehead.

"Every time," he muttered as he hopped off of the stone, standing in front of Brielle's group. Marcos was hardly taller than her, which was odd because he was 17 and she was 11. He cracked his back as the other Prefects followed his lead, leaving the height of the stones and standing by their respective groups. "These are your squads. If we think someone went missing or got lost along the way, we'll be able to count within squads now. I don't know, it doesn't make sense to me, but it's Professor Dekél's orders." He shrugged, and Gemma took over.

"We'll take you to the common room and if you have any questions as we go, please don't hesitate to ask." Gemma and Grey seemed happy to be here, whereas Marcos seemed kind of indifferent towards kids. Brielle hoped that the other Prefect, Shaun, was just having a bad day. He seemed kind of...well...

All four Prefects gave the tour to all the groups at once, so they all knew the same route and such. This way, Marcos had explained, it would be faster to get back for the Banquet. As the Prefects led the first years outside of the Main Hall, Brielle looked around in wonder. The hallway they'd entered ran straight forward, with doorways branching off to either side. The walls were built with marbled black and gray stones, though a lot of them were dulled and had been chipped away at. The doorways were large, but had no doors; there were curtains, beaded strings… anything other than doors.

The hallway had appeared short when they left the Main Hall, but that wasn't the case whatsoever. As they strode past curtains and such, the Prefects pointed out different classrooms, but Brielle felt like she was walking in place. She didn't seem to be getting any closer to the end of the hallway.

Finally, the Prefects took a turn through one of the heavy curtains, which lead them to a very dark room.

"_Lumos_," Gemma commanded, and her wand lit up like a lantern. The other Prefects followed her lead. They paired up, two held their wands up to the wall while the other held it by their feet. Brielle and TJ were in the front of the line, walking close behind the seventh-years so they wouldn't get lost. None of the first years knew the spell, so they all clumped rather closely together to keep towards the light. Marcos and Grey partnered together - though Marcos didn't seem too thrilled about that - and Shaun partnered with Gemma. They told the first years to stay close behind so that they wouldn't trip and fall or get lost, though they were already doing that.

Gemma and Shaun bumped shoulders as they walked, whispering some things back and fourth. They were about the same height; if anything, Shaun was a little taller. Brielle raised an eyebrow when TJ bumped into her. She glared at him confusedly, but his facial expression looked like he hadn't meant to.

"The hallway's narrowing," he explained as Brielle was suddenly squished between TJ and another boy who was in her squad. She let out a deep breath as the Prefects filed one behind the other. The first years followed their lead clumsily, and she almost ran into TJ when the line came to a hault. The wands' lights went out with four whispers. Brielle stuck close behind her friend as the line stayed still.

Marcos and Grey began to whisper-yell at Gemma, and Brielle could hear her yelling back at them. Shaun stayed silent. "I've got it," Gemma said harshly, "_Lumen Parietes._" There was a large shock of light from her wand, then it flew around the walls quickly, lighting several torches that weren't visible before. It lit the corridor nicely; it wasn't overlit but they could now see where they were going. This hallway was very similar to the other, though this one had stairs running straight up from where the Prefects were standing. Literally, straight up. Brielle couldn't see the top of the case. Gemma's arms were crossed triumphantly as Grey rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he mumbled, "Of course _you're _the only one who can cast it."

"You always do it," Gemma countered and turned to the first years. "I don't know why the torches weren't lit; they usually are. But no matter…"

"This is the entrance to the Drakonas common room," Marcos picked up, eyeing the other two Prefects, "The password is 'flapping fireworks' - "

There was a loud scraping sound coming from the top of the staircase. Gemma rolled her eyes. "I _told _you not to say it so loud."

"But you're a sixth year," Marcos pointed out with a smirk as he advanced up the stairs, "I didn't _actually _listen to you."

"You're such a yit," Gemma swore after him, but still held a smile on her face.

"_You're such a yit_," Marcos mocked her in a fake-British accent. Grey snickered and even Shaun chuckled a little bit. The Prefects led the first years up the stairs and towards the sound Brielle identified as stone-on-stone. The stairs were small but numerous. Very numerous. "They can shorten if you need them to," Gemma explained as they reached the top, "I'll show you on the way back down."

"Of _course _you will," Grey mumbled with a smirk. They all seemed to like to give Gemma a hard time, though she didn't seem to mind much.

The platform at the top of the stairs was large enough to hold all of the students comfortably. In front of them, a large dragon's head was carved onto a stone plate. "Hey Monstro," Grey greeted the stone figure. It stared straight ahead, then its eyes moved so it was looking at the new students. Some of the kids jumped back at the sudden movement, "Got some new meat."

The dragon's lips curled into a smile as the face pressed out of the wall and appeared as a statue rather than a carving. Brielle's eyes widened as Monstro's focus locked on her.

"Well," he hissed with an odd smile, "It's nice to see you again, Grey. Welcome, first years." The dragon directed his words towards the Prefect who'd greeted him, but his eyes stayed on Brielle. His face grew closer to her as his neck grew from the wall. It made the same sound they'd heard before; the scraping. "So, this is Brielle, the girl I've heard about? Brielle Hawkins, whose m - "

"Enough, Monstro," Shaun warned the dragon sharply as he stepped in front of Brielle. The dragon had been about a foot from her face, so Shaun was basically standing on top of her. She swallowed, but her feet were rooted to the ground, too afraid to move. Monstro shrank back slowly, glaring at the seventh-year, "That's enough."

"Sorry," the British dragon snarled at Shaun, then returned to face straight ahead. He shrunk back so his neck was nonexistent. Monstro's mouth opened wide and showed an oaken door, which Marcos pushed through with a "thank you". He held the door for the first years to pass through as he and Grey stood and watched the students go. Shaun turned around and looked straight down. He gave Brielle a small smile, and she returned it.

"Sorry about that, Brielle," he said uncomfortably and ringed the back of his neck, "I'm Shaun." Gemma spotted the two of them and strolled over as he put his hand out. Brielle shook it as Gemma walked up to Shaun and whispered something in his ear. He nodded, said, "It was nice meeting you," and walked away.

Well… That was odd.


	4. 3 : Getting Settled

**Chapter 3: Getting Settled**

**A/N: I have 57 reads! (I'm not sure if that's good or not but hey, I'm happy with it) AND I have a review, as well as a favorite, AND a 97 in my math class. Life's good :)**

**Don't forget to follow and favorite and review with suggestions at the end, or now, whatever you'd like. I mean, I don't know you, you could want to do it now.**

**~J**

"Brielle, right?" the sixth year girl asked, and Brielle adjusted her glasses, nodding slowly. The girl - Gemma, from the introduction she gave in the Main Hall - smiled down at the first year sweetly, but her face looked a bit stressed. "I'm Gemma. Come now, I'll show you in." Gemma put her arm around Brielle's shoulder, which tightened as they neared the dragon. They both thanked Marcos for holding the door, and Gemma shot a look back out to - probably - Shaun. She nodded, then focused her attention back on Brielle.

As they entered the main common room, the students stood and gazed around the area. There were a few elegant purple couches around the room with light oak floors and mahogany coffee tables. Bookshelves around the room held numerous texts, but also a bunch of old artifacts, like pointed hats and tiny statues and trophies. Along the walls were pennant flags with the Drakonas crest on them, medals, pictures of people on broomsticks, plaques with numerous achievements engraved on them. A large doorway to the left was surrounded by quite a few brooms, which looked communal. There were two more doorways on the other side of the room, both with green door frames and purple doors. If they were meant to embrace their house, the color scheme in the room sure did exemplify that.

"This is the common room," Marcos explained. Brielle hadn't even noticed he'd come in. Gemma dropped her arm and glanced towards Shaun, who was just coming through the tiny outcove by the door. She didn't move from the first year's side, though. Marcos continued speaking, "You'll probably spend most of your time in here and your rooms. It's just a place for Drakonas to hang out with each other without the Ara getting in the way and such." Shaun sent him a stern look with his eyes beginning to glow, but it was clear Marcos meant what he said. Shaun looked to Gemma, who was still close to Brielle's side, and she gave him a _relax_ sort of look. His eyes stopped glowing, but his hands curled into tight fists at his sides.

"We have two sets of dorms," Marcos continued, "They're separated by year, not by gender like the other houses, because we have more boys than girls and that wouldn't be fair to give the girls a seemingly huge room and the boys a seemingly tiny one, or vice versa, so you share." A group of boys who looked to be second or third years looked at each other and wiggled their eyebrows. Jesse the Hothead was among them; he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms at his three friends. One of the older students winked at a first year girl, whose face turned a bright shade of pink. Jesse elbowed him harshly in the side. Marcos's attention was drawn to the students as he continued, "However we do have ways to separate you at night, so don't get any ideas." Jesse left the third years and entered the room on the left silently. His friends crossed in front of Marcos to leave the common room, and Brielle wondered how Jesse had already made it back from wherever he went with the Headmistress.

"The rooms on the left are for first through fourth years," Grey picked up, as Marcos's eyes were still on the leaving boys, "Your things are already on your beds, along with your uniforms. There is an attached bathroom within the dormitories, which has two chambers; one for each gender. Those are separate. When you enter the dorms, you should find your bed and immediately change into uniform so we can return to the Main Hall for the Banquet."

The first years stood still for a moment, then Grey motioned to the common rooms. The children swarmed the door slowly, Brielle near the back. TJ was somewhere up further. She knew this because she saw his head pop up over the others' and his eyes scan the crowd. They locked on Brielle and his lips turned up into a smile as he retreated towards the back of the line of students. His eyes kept flickering from blue to brown, and she wondered what it was that made them change color.

They finally made their way through the doorway as the last of the kids filed into the room. The inside was larger than Brielle had imagined. Scratch that - it was enormous. The beds were like bunk beds, except one bunk was transformed into a desk. There were some desks on top and some on bottom. Each bed was separated by a large wardrobe. In the middle aisle between the sets of beds were tables with cards, candies, and loads of other things that Brielle hadn't expected to be in a dormitory. Each of the beds had a name tag on the end that looked handmade for each person. She wondered if Ara made them or if someone in Drakonas did; probably the latter. Why would Ara make Drakonas name tags?

When they finally found their beds, Brielle and TJ saw that they were across the aisle from one another. Her bed was on the bottom and the desk was on the top, which she was happy about. She prefered to sleep on the bottom because, if she rolled out of bed, she wouldn't have as far to fall. The bed was covered in a cool green comforter and purple pillows. She raised an eyebrow, as every other bed was the opposite of the last; if one had green sheets and purple pillows, the next was green pillows and purple sheets, then back again. She shook her head at how everything was color-oriented. She climbed up to the top bunk and found a folded black sweater, a black collared shirt, a white collared shirt, black pants, a black skirt, and a black blazer. There was also the Aboriginal school robe draped across the end of the bed next to a purple and green striped scarf and hat, probably for the upcoming winter.

Suddenly, a sharp squawking sound erupted in Brielle's ears. She covered them up quickly, nearly losing her balance on the ladder, and turned to the head of her bed, which seemed to be the source of the racket. On the thick headboard sat a large cage, and in that cage sat a tan and brown bird that perched itself on a little swing. It's head turned to the side, the dark blue eyes staring back at the first year. She smiled, as now she recognized the bird as Péleda, the family owl. The bird had a small piece of paper on its cage, as well.

It read, _You can keep her here since I "lied" about the broom. ~Evan_

Brielle smiled and opened the cage, not paying attention to the fact that _lied_ was in quotes, and pet Péleda gently on the head with the back of a finger. She was so enthralled with her new bunk mate that she had completely forgotten to change into her uniform. She grabbed the white shirt, black pants, and blazer from the bed and scrambled into the girls' bathroom. It was kind of small compared to the bedroom, however everything probably looked small compared to the bedroom. She threw everything on quickly, double checking that her shirt was tucked into her pants, the collar poked out of the blazer, and the blazer was on straight. She scrambled out of the bathroom door, just catching the remainder of the students leaving. The third and second years had left, too, as the Banquet was probably starting soon and they wanted food.

She scurried out of the dormitory door as the last student to leave. Brielle noticed a few older students, probably two or three from each year, scattered around the room. She wondered if they were just there to relax and were not going to the Banquet until later. She scanned the crowd of kids quickly for TJ. He wasn't too hard to find despite the uniforms, as his changing eyes caught her attention quickly. Standing coolly next to him was none other than Jesse Ramos, who seemed to be popping up everywhere now. Brielle swallowed hard as she began to clam up. She had no particular interest in acquainting herself with a hothead like he was, though he seemed relatively lighthearted from across the room.

Jessie's tan hand ran through his somewhat short, dark hair as he explained something to TJ, which seemed to give a good laugh. The first year glanced in her direction, then did a double take and smiled, waving Brielle over. She approached cautiously, as she was still unsure of Jesse. Jesse's green eyes flicked to where TJ was looking, and he gave a small grin upon realization that she was strolling towards them. As she stopped next to TJ, her eyes stayed locked on his feet.

"Nice uniform," he smiled, and she returned it. TJ looked so official and spiffy in his uniform.

"You too, TJ."

TJ turned back to the other boy, who was leaning on the wall like he was actually cool. "Jesse, this is - " TJ began, but Jesse cut him off.

"Brielle," he placed a hand under her chin, and she gritted her teeth as she looked up into his eyes. She gave a look of disgust and swatted his hand away. She didn't want anything to do with Jesse Ramos. "Hawkins, right? The one who blew the fireball."

Brielle nodded as she took a small step back. She wasn't sure whether to leave or stay, but - as she didn't know anyone else in Drakonas except Gemma, and Gemma was busy with the Prefects - she remained where she was.

"Don't worry, she warms up," TJ half-whispered to the second year, who Brielle noticed wore impeccably shiny shoes. His hand remained in the space between them, so Brielle grabbed it and shook it gently. His hands were larger than hers, his skin a bit rougher and grip a bit tighter.

"I'm Jesse," he finished. She looked up to meet his shocking green eyes, the one thing he and Cameron had in common. Brielle waited for a moment and told herself not to say anything. She didn't want her thoughts to just come out; she needed to filter herself, because if she said what she was feeling...well... "Jesse - "

"Ramos, right?" Brielle sharply asked without heeding her own warning, "The one who can't take the fact that Cameron was placed in Voras with Connor." The two of them went silent. She didn't know why she said it; it just happened because she didn't have a conscience when it came to things like these. Her eyes widened as Jesse's emotion on his face didn't change, but his hands clenched into fists. "I'm… I'm sorry."

Jesse gave a small smile, but didn't say anything. He looked like he was going to erupt, but she guessed that she looked so scared that he calmed himself down and simply said, "It's fine." His hand ringed the back of his neck, "I'm sorry for being so snippy in the Hall."

"See, look at this, making progress," TJ quickly intervened with a large, crooked smile. It always seemed to go higher on the one side than it did on the other.

There was a loud, throat-clearing noise, and the students turned to see Marcos standing on top of one of the tables. He waited for everyone to stop talking, which most did, but two kids were still conversing. And quite loudly, too. Marcos cleared his throat again, but they didn't pay attention. He pulled his wand out of his jacket pocket, but Grey held up a hand and pressed the other Prefect's wand down. He pulled his own wand and casted, "_Caput_." There was a small, gray wisp of smoke from the tip of his wand and a crackling sound, and the two students' heads banged together. He let out a small chuckle and a smirk as the students rubbed their foreheads and stopped talking.

Brielle thought it was a little extreme, but hey, it worked.

"Thank you," Marcos told Grey sarcastically, who gave a small nod and bow. Marcos rolled his eyes and began to make another small speech. "We'll head down to the Banquet. You don't have to sit by squad, but if you want to you can. Ask a lot of questions with each other; maybe you'll find a good friend or two during dinner who'll last." Shaun bumped into Gemma and smiled at her, and she returned it. They probably met at one of the Banquets.

The students looked around, possibly searching for their teams, as Marcos hopped off the table. Brielle didn't know what the deal with standing on things was here, but Marcos was so short that it sort of made sense for him to.

They marched back through the hallways on the same route they'd taken before, but this time, Gemma showed them how to shrink the staircase for when they're in a rush. They just needed to turn one of the horns on Monstro's snout and they were golden. If they were at the bottom, there was a pattern on the wall they had to trace Brielle kept her eyes locked on Jesse, who found himself strolling next to TJ as they navigated through the school. Apparently they had spent four hours or so going through the hallways earlier, because out of the large, cathedral windows, the sun was setting. It was beautiful over the lake; the orange and pink glistened on the water.

Upon entering the Main Hall, the campsites, urn, and four bowls of Vanduo had been removed and were replaced by a large table, which stretched out between each of the house's areas like a plus sign. The campsites had been replaced by four long, squareish tables that were cut out on the inside to fit double the people. There was an opening by one of the corners so people could get onto the inside. The tables didn't look quite large enough to fit all of the members for each house.

The first years approached the Drakonas table cautiously as the Prefects made their way to the middle of the cut out. As the clan of Drakonas grew nearer to the table, it began to grow and chairs began to appear around it. Brielle sat next to TJ, and Jesse plopped himself next to her. She rolled her eyes and turned to face her actual friend until the Prefects began speaking again.

And, again, they stood on a podium thing that was in the middle of the table. She didn't get it…Why was _everyone _up higher when they announced things?!

"Alright," she also didn't understand why Marcos began every statement with _alright_... "Welcome to the Banquet! Just sit back and relax, get to know one another. Make sure you eat up, too. Best food of the year is during the Banquet."

"'Scuse me," a young first year boy raised his hand honestly and stood up. "I don't mean to be blunt, Mr. Prefect, but what do you suppose we eat when there's no food?"

Marcos seemed to enjoy and dislike the title of _Mr. Prefect _at the same time; he wore an arrogant smirk across his lips but also furrowed his brow. "Just wait, kid."

Just then, a small, elf-like creature came crawling out from under one of the tables, popping up in the middle of the criss-crossed layout. It wore nothing but rags as it looked around, but said nothing. Some of the kids didn't notice; if they did, they weren't letting on that it was there. Brielle watched the creature walk around the tables cautiously, rubbing its hands in one another. It seemed…nervous, almost. It rounded the table's end between the Voras and Ara campsites, the table pointing south. As it neared, she could make out huge, musty yellow eyes to match the musty yellow cloth he wore.

"Vergas," Gemma called across the room, and the thing's head snapped up in her direction, eyes wide. He relaxed at her smile and stumbled over cautiously.

"Vergas is trying to prepare for the feast, Miss Wilkins," the thing smiled in return as he gave a small bow to the Prefect on the table. She nodded once, and he returned to his upright state. Its ears sticking out to the side and his feeble arms and legs flailing about, the small creature tried to jump onto the pedestal, too. It took a minute or two, but when he did, Grey greeted him with some sort of handshake.

"TJ," Brielle patted his arm as he turned from a conversation with the person next to him. The creature was kind of cute when she looked at it; its face was babyish, like TJ's, but more so, "TJ, what is that?"

"A house elf," he said simply with a small smile and turned back to his conversation. She rolled her eyes at how he talked to everyone and then looked at the little elf once more. Jesse cleared his throat and explained to her what a house elf was exactly; they were basically little servants to their masters until given clothes.

"Thanks," she mumbled and watched the elf be greeted by the remaining Prefects. Jesse let a deep breath escape his nose, and she rolled her eyes and ignored him. He did it again, and she turned to him sharply. "Would you _please_?" she asked pointedly.

"Look," he responded quietly. He had a serious but kind expression on his face as he spoke, "I didn't mean to offend you before. Connor and his family are jerks to mine, so you can see why I didn't like him fancying my sister in his house." Brielle nodded and replied that she appreciated his apology. She gave him one of her own.

"I'm sorry, too," she said, also in a hushed tone, "that I snapped at you. Connor and I… have a history...as well." She didn't need him knowing that she was a foster kid because he seemed like the kind of guy who would hold that against her. "I haven't seen him since I was a child so I don't know why I was bent out of shape about it."

"We could at least try to be friends, here," Jesse gave a small smile, "I mean, I know you're not a social person, but I push people away too, so maybe we could work." Brielle gave a small breath from her nose, thinking _that's the most true statement I've heard all day_. She agreed that they should try to be friends, but in the back of her mind was wondering why he'd want to be friends with her so badly. No matter, though; this way, she could be friends with a student from another year as well as TJ, and keep in touch with Cameron. Maybe. They left the conversation at that as Brielle tuned back into the discussion between the house elf Vergas and Gemma. The elf seemed to speak in the third person, which was a tad curious.

"What does Miss Wilkins require from Vergas?" he asked hastily as Gemma sat on the ledge thing. They were about the same height when the elf remained standing and Gemma sat down. She smiled at Vergas, then at the crowd of first years, who all managed to stay on one part of the table.

"Here's the new ones," she explained, and Vergas jumped down from the one table where the Prefects were and onto the other one that the first years were seated at. He walked among the students over the tables and things, shaking each first year's hand and skipping the rest. Shaun went to move towards the elf, but Gemma held him back. He eyed her with a warning look, but when she whispered something to him, he sat down next to her, though he still looked stressed and kept a keen eye on the elf. Vergas introduced himself to each child as they did the same, and when he finally got to Brielle, he paused.

"Vergas knows who this is," he said as he waddled closer to her face. She leaned back, but he kept moving forward. His abnormally large eyes narrowed and sank into hers as she admired the cool, decrepit yellow. "This is Brielle, Vergas knows. Brielle Hawkins. What is Miss Hawkins doing at Aboriginal?"

Brielle's jaw locked as she began to shake. The tiny creature didn't physically scare her; it was the mental factor that did. How did he already know who she was? She'd never even seen a house elf before. For that matter, how'd _anyone _here already know who she was? Other than her "performance" at the housing, no one should've known. She should've been a nobody, like all the other first years. "Miss Hawkins should not be here," Vergas added, "Miss Hawkins is supposed to still be at Continental. Miss Hawkins - "

"Vergas," a loud and now recognizable voice commanded as footsteps grew near. Brielle's shaky eyes flickered up to Shaun, who was standing over the two of them. He grabbed Vergas by his rags and pulled him away, allowing her to sit up straight. All eyes were on her once again as Shaun whispered something harshly to the elf. He put him on the table roughly, and Vergas hunkered down and sulked away, continuing to greet first years.

"What's 'Continental'?" TJ's voice made Brielle jump off her seat, and he jerked backwards. His hands shot up in surrender, and she began to shiver again. She shook her head back and forth as her eyes squeezed shut. Continental was her orphanage; how did Vergas know about that? They didn't have house elves there, she could be sure of that. "Whoa, I'm sorry. It's okay." TJ snapped her out of her thoughts as she opened her eyes. He put a hand on her arm, and she shook her head slowly.

"How…" she stammered, but didn't really know what to say, "I… I don't..."

"Shh," TJ soothingly shushed her, his eyes sad and kind at the same time. He may have been one of those social people - and a guy - but he was more sensitive than most she'd met. He put an arm around her shoulder, and she jumped at his touch, but then relaxed. Although they'd only known each other for a few hours, she felt that he was brother-like and was very comfortable around him. "What's got you all shaken?" She answered by moving her eyes up to meet his, which now changed from blue to brown. Brielle leaned her head on his shoulder and could feel him give a small smile, then they both faced the Prefects again. Vergas had finished introducing himself, and Shaun was now herding him off and away from the students. When he returned to Gemma's side, as he always seemed to be, they began to have a little spat. Marcos began to talk over them to the first years, but all Brielle could pay attention to was their argument. Her head moved from TJ's shoulder as she focused more on them.

"He was only being kind," Gemma began, "He didn't mean to - "

"He's not supposed to do that, Gemmavaile!" Shaun whisper-yelled at her. She shrank back at his tone, but he continued, "Abbey told us not to let him near her."

"Yes, but - "

"No, no _buts_," he growled, "I told you, I _told _you, he'd do it."

"I'm sorry, Shaun, I - " Gemma looked over the angry boy's shoulder at Brielle, who was staring wide-eyed at them. She swallowed hard as Shaun turned and looked at her, his expression heated. It softened a bit, and he opened his mouth as if he was going to say something to the first year, but then he turned back to Gemma. She was brushing past him quickly and moving towards the first year, He grabbed her arm, but she yanked it away, turning back to him angrily. "Shaun," she spat, and he stopped. "She's a kid."

Gemma eyed him up and down, then turned on her heel and approached Brielle. She got down on one knee and gave a small, uneasy smile. "I have to take you to the Headmistress now," she told her, and the younger girl nodded absentmindedly. She stood and followed the Prefect, not turning to look rearward at the many eyes that were obviously on her. She could feel their glares searing into her back as she walked. After exiting the Main Hall, they walked through the never-ending corridor until they reached a long, wide staircase. "We have to go the long way, since her other office is under fumigation."

"What does she have?"

"Pixies," she said naturally, as if there wasn't strange to fumigate for pixies.

As they climbed the large staircase, Gemma began to speak about the school a little more, telling her about the forest in the east and how all of the professors would be lenient about being late to class during the beginning of the year, other than the Ara head, Professor Howe.

"He hates Drakonas, especially Shaun because of his family," she explained as they reached the top, "It's like he's mad at Shaun for being housed in Drakonas rather than Ara, as if it was his choice." Gemma led her down a narrow hallway next, leading to a bridge that went outside. She looked down at the younger girl as she walked. "You really don't say much, do you?"

Brielle shook her head and kept her eyes forward. It wasn't that she didn't have an interest in speaking to the Prefect, but she didn't have anything to say. Well, except that she was curious about her and Shaun… She debated asking about it and thought it'd be a bad idea due to their argument in the Main Hall, but when Gemma's hand raised to a heart-shaped locket around her neck and began to play with it, her curiosity got the better of her.

"What is Shaun to you?" Brielle blurted out, and Gemma froze mid-step. She looked down at Brielle and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you didn't say much," she mumbled with tight lips and kept walking slowly. She let out a breath as Brielle shrugged.

"I'm curious," the first year added as she began to walk backwards in front of the Prefect.

Gemma's head cocked to the side as the brisk wind hit their skin. She looked out beyond the bridge and Brielle saw the school from the outside for the first time. It was a large, brown, stone castle, much like the other schools Evan had told her about, though this one had a different...feel? She guessed it was the feel… It was larger than Evan had explained; she could count eleven different sections of the castle, though it seemed like there were more that she couldn't quite see. The roofs were a darker brown than the stone, like Gemma's hair, and always seemed to come to a point in the middle, even when the base wasn't a cylindrical shape. She was right about the river; it was directly below the bridge and ran parallel beneath it, flooding directly into the castle. When it hit the stone wall, though, it dropped off into a waterfall below the building.

"You're going to fall," Gemma interrupted her thoughts, and Brielle turned back around to fall into step with the older girl. She let out a deep sigh and asked. "What do you mean, 'what is he' to me?

"For example, is he your friend, like a brother," she paused and looked up, "maybe your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" she shouted with a slight laugh, "No, absolutely not. I mean…" she stopped herself and her smile disappeared, "Shaun is difficult to understand. He's my best friend… We've been like that for six years now. I just don't know if he wants to be something more."

"Do you want to be?"

She let that settle in for a while as Brielle kept her eyes locked on the Prefect. Gemma's hand rubbed over her face as her muffled voice said, "I can't believe I'm having this conversation with an eleven year old."

"Evan tells I'm very nice to talk to," she said matter-of-factly, "Like I'm an adult trapped in a girl's body." It wasn't so much one-on-one talking that Brielle had an issue with; it was when she was in front of a big crowd and talking to someone, even if she wasn't talking to the whole crowd. But being alone with someone and knowing others couldn't hear her… that was alright.

"Evan?" Gemma asked and raised her eyebrows again. Brielle rolled her eyes and thought _here we go_, "As in Evan Madrack, the Potions professor?" Brielle nodded and sighed. "You've spoken to him?"

"He's my…" Brielle paused at the word _foster_, not sure whether to add it or not. She chose not to, as she didn't need another reason for kids to stare and think she was weird. She already had the whole fire-spitting and house-elf-interrogation thing going for her. "He's my brother."

Gemma seemed to be taken aback by this, but she continued like it wasn't strange. In fact, Brielle thought it wasn't strange, though she guessed that since Evan was the teacher, it took a little while to think he could have a younger sibling. "But why…?" Gemma stopped herself and shook her head.

"Back to our conversation?" Brielle edged her towards answering her original question.

"Yes, well…" Gemma said and took the confused look off her face, but her mind still seemed lost, "I'm sorry, what was the question?"

They finished their walk across the bridge, Gemma venting to Brielle about how Shaun can be "so indecisive" and how he "lashes out too much", but he is also "oh too sweet" and "protective of her like a brother". Brielle didn't particularly enjoy this kind of conversation, but Gemma looked like she needed someone to talk to and she was always open for listening.

"Right, then," Gemma interrupted herself as they finished going across a wide field. There was a small, cabin-like building on this side with a tiny brass door. Literally, tiny.

The cabin door was about three feet tall by three feet wide, and they had to squat down to reach the door. Gemma knocked twice, and then three times, and then twice again, and the door opened a minute or two later to another small elf. "Hello, Rufus."

"Rufus was taking a nap, Miss Wilkins," this elf's voice as very low, but he seemed to have a child-like demeanor. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and gave a small sniffle. "What is it that Miss Wilkins needs?"

"I need you to patch me through to Headmistress Lofaro," she said, and moved out of the way so the elf could see Brielle. He eyed her warily, and then, seeming to realize who she was, nodded. But how could that be if she was unsure of why she was already known? She didn't do anything special, nothing that would've made news or anything.

"Come," he said and opened the door. Gemma got on her hands and knees and crawled in, but Brielle raised an eyebrow. How was it that she actually fit through the door, let alone inside the house? Rufus's head popped back out a moment later. "Well?" he asked, and Brielle swallowed. She let out a breath and crawled through the doorway, and soon realized why Gemma had fit. The house was absolutely giant; five or so stories high and marble everywhere.

"Rufus just remodeled," he declared proudly with his hands on his waist. He, too, wore stingy rags for clothes. Brielle wondered why the elves didn't take something they found on the floor or why the Headmistress didn't give them better clothes. "Rufus put up marble and Vergas helped with the stairs, he did."

The tiny house elf made his way to a large fireplace with a black cauldron of Floo powder. Gemma followed close behind, but Brielle took her time. No way all this could fit in the tiny 3x3x4 foot house, but it somehow did. "Rufus thinks Miss Hawkins should follow him," the elf said without turning around. He peeked over his shoulder and gave a small smile.

Brielle stopped her gawking and mindlessly followed Gemma towards the fireplace. "Password?" Gemma asked, and Rufus let out a small breath.

"Mandrake Madness," the elf responded and eyed both of the girls. "Rufus should remind you," he added as Gemma's hand filled with Floo powder, "not to say the password until necessary and to say the password quietly so no others can hear." He looked around, as if people were listening in already, and stepped close to Brielle. He yanked on her shoulder and she leaned in roughly. His large musty eye caught her own dull one and he whispered, "Rufus assumes Miss Hawkins will be careful, he does. Miss Hawkins knows - "

"Rufus!" Gemma said and knocked his head away rather harshly. He grabbed the side of his head and backed away with narrowed eyes, but remained by the side of the fireplace. "You first, Brielle. Come on now, say, 'Sede Abbey' as you throw it."

Brielle stepped warily into the place, and Gemma put her handful of powder back as the first year grabbed her own. She didn't like the Floo network the first time, so she probably wouldn't like it the second, either…

"Sede Abbey," she repeated clearly as she tossed the powder. Again, there was a shock of light and a swarm of heat around her body, yet she lurched out of the other side unharmed. She had to find her glasses again, though, and this time it was tougher without Connor there to help.

Next, with a loud whoosh, Gemma came steadily from the fireplace. She stepped out and a crack went through Brielle's ears. She let out a sigh and sat on her bum, her hand outstretched. She didn't have to see Gemma to know that she'd landed on her glasses. She decided she'd get goggles for whenever she traveled through Floo.

"I've got it," Gemma said quite cheerfully (not to Brielle's surprise) and handed the glasses back. Brielle placed them back on her face as the Prefect pulled her wand.

"Oculus Reparo," she commanded, and, like they had with Connor, the glasses fixed themselves. She really needed to remember that spell…

Or get contacts.

"Stiprus," Gemma caught Brielle off guard by casting another spell at her. She jumped back, but it had already hit her glasses. They began to heat up, but then they cooled back down. "There," she smiled and resheathed her wand, "Try them. Go ahead, give it a go."

Brielle raised an eyebrow, but removed her glasses. She examined them by turning them over in her hands and watching them closely. Nothing seemed to be out of place… She looked up at Gemma's blurry, smiling face. "Throw them." Her eyes shot from the lenses to the Prefect, but she wasn't joking. Why not…?

She took them in her hand and chucked them towards the wall, which they hit. It sounded like they broke, but it didn't look like they broke. She picked them up and replaced them on her face. No dents, no bruises, no chips. She smiled up at Gemma, who was triumphantly knocking on the Headmistress's door, pretending like she hadn't just seen or done anything. She whispered, "Mandrake Madness," and put her hand to her side.

Two seconds later, the tall, black haired Headmistress strode from the doorway and shook Gemma's hand, then Brielle's. She dismissed Gemma and led the first year into her office. The Headmistress motioned for Brielle to sit, which she did at the chair in front of the large desk. The chair was wooden and not very comfortable, but this was where kids went when they were in trouble; why would the chairs be comfy?

Headmistress Lofaro sat at the chair on the other side, which seemed much more comfortable. It was a large, black plush chair with mahogany around the edges; it almost matched her hair perfectly, which now was pulled back into a tight pony tail. She stirred the tea on her matching mahogany desk and looked at the student with either wonderment or trouble in her eyes; Brielle couldn't tell which.

"Um… Headmistress?" Brielle asked, interrupting their seemingly game of silence, "Did… Did I do something wrong?"

"_Wrong_?" the Headmistress almost seemed to spit her tea across the room. "Heavens, why do you think you did something wrong?"

A huge weight lifted off Brielle's shoulders as she let out a breath. She couldn't help but give a small smile too, though she knew she shouldn't until she knew why she was there.

"No, my dear, you're not in any sort of trouble," she continued with a small but uncomfortable smile of her own, "And please, no need for _Headmistress_. You can call me Professor Lofaro or just Professor."

This warm, happy woman was different from the harshly expressed one who stood on the luggage. The other woman seemed stern and very strict, meanwhile this one resembled a cheerful, graceful witch who was glad to be headmistress. It was a definite change, which scared Brielle. She never did well with change, especially when someone's personality changed. Because that usually meant they were trying to hide something.

Professor Lofaro let out a sigh and took the smile off her face, which looked forced anyways. "I'm sorry," she said, "You're not in trouble, but I don't do well with euphoria unless it's genuine and this first week is going to be very tedious and stressful." Brielle mouthed the word _euphoria_ in confusion and stared at the woman, wondering how old she was. Up close, she looked even younger than before. Had she said she'd been headmistress for _seven_ years after college? Did she say she graduated at twenty? That was pretty young. She was about two years older than Evan, then.

"Miss Hawkins?" The Headmistress snapped her fingers in front of the young girl and looked at her closely, "Are you alright?"

Brielle swallowed and nodded quickly, "Quite." They stared at each other for a little while until the Professor broke it.

"You don't say much do you?"

She shook her head.

"Surprising, considering how much your family likes to chat. Especially Evan," a small smile peeked on her lips, "He's a delight, that one. Always making jokes and keeping kids from trouble."

_Not her too,_ Brielle thought and frowned. "Professor," she said meekly, seeming to snap the woman out of her thoughts, "If you don't mind my asking, what am I doing here if I'm not in trouble?"

The Headmistress stood and put her hands behind her back. She strode to the farthest wall and gazed out a window that Brielle hadn't noticed was there. Looking into the now fading daylight, she said, "I wanted to talk to you about your housing…" Brielle nodded as the professor turned to the girl, "Would you like a drink or something? The walk here was probably a hike, my apologies." Brielle shook her head and the woman shrugged. "Alright then."

"Really, Professor," she tried not to sound too abrupt, "I just want to know more about the fire."

All she did was look out the window. Brielle began to lose her patience but told herself to remain calm. The professor glared at something afar, and the girl realized she was looking at the river. "Strange, isn't it?" Professor Lofaro wondered aloud, "The water runs through the castle but we haven't found where it enters yet. It's not in the castle anywhere."

"Professor - "

"Of course, no one has looked much."

"Headmistress - "

"Maybe we should search more. I'm sure Harvey - "

"Professor!" Brielle boomed, almost as loudly as she'd been that morning when Evan moved too slowly. The Headmistress turned quickly to face the girl with zero emotion on her face; Brielle shook in fear, as she hadn't meant to be so rude but wanted her to get to the point. She sure didn't seem so… distracted… during the rest of the day.

"I...I'm sorry," she stammered. Her face burned red as she shrunk back in her seat.

"Oh, It's quite alright," Professor Lofaro said kindly, but without expression on her face. "I know you'd like to know more about the flame." She paused and leaned against the window, but then pushed off and retreated to her desk. "To be perfectly forthright, I cannot tell you all of the details. I can, however, share a few things.

"I've seen something like this before, an exaggerated housing. It was the first time in history Aboriginal had seen something of the sorts. He was a first year like yourself, in Drakonas. Last year, actually. I believe you two are connected, what with the…" she trailed off, as if she was about to say something she shouldn't have. She picked back up quickly, but the pause was still noticeable. "Yes, he was quite the show for the students and for myself, I may add-"

_Professor, please,_ Brielle thought as she began to become impatient. She didn't care what the woman was going to say before she trailed off; the only thing in her mind now was _who was it?_

" - spectacular when he even made Keeper as a _first _year. Unheard of, for a first year to make the _Drakonas _Quidditch team, you know."

"Professor," Brielle asked, fighting to hold back an eye roll at how she was dragging this out, "Who was he?"

"Jesse, Jesse Ramos."


	5. 4 : Classes and Some Bad Professors

****Chapter 4: Classes and Some Bad Professors****

**SO how's everyone's day going? Good? No? Well alright...**

**I hope you like the book so far, I've been working on it for a while and I'm glad it's getting a bunch of reads. Please be sure to comment and favorite and follow, y'all :) See you later and take care:D**

"So he did the same thing?" TJ asked quietly in the common room, "The fire? Why didn't he tell you?"

"That's…" Brielle said between mouthfuls of food. She was back to the Main Hall halfway through the Banquet, but she hadn't been able to eat no matter how spectacular the feast was. And now she was paying for it. "...That's what Lofaro told me. And who knows? Jesse doesn't seem overly… chatty."

"That makes two of you," he laughed with his goofy smile. She looked around the common room and spotted Jesse across the way. He was talking to one of his third or fourth year buddies and was listening to what seemed like a joke. His bright green eyes were squinted tight with laughter, but they were still visible. He turned his head towards Brielle, then did a double take. He was still laughing, but not as hard, and gave a small wave. She turned her head quickly and faced TJ again with pinked cheeks. He gave her a raised eyebrow and a smirk as he stole a piece of chocolate from her basket. She smiled.

"What?" she demanded jocularly. TJ raised both eyebrows as he chewed the piece of toffee, and dropped his eyes. She shoved his arm as he put his hands up in surrender. "_What?_"

He stopped and looked up at Brielle's beaming face. "You're so socially challenged."

She chewed on a piece of peppermint as she scrunched her lips to the side. "Yes, I know." She glanced back at Jesse, who was still talking to his friend. "I just want to know more about it."

TJ cleared his throat and made a cocky smile. "I got this." Brielle's eyes widened as he brashly grabbed a piece of chocolate and stood up. He began to walk towards Jesse and the anxious girl shrank into her seat as she watched. TJ walked up to the second and fourth years, and he brought back both of them after a moment or two of conversation.

"Brielle," Jesse said with a smile as he plopped down right next to her. She rolled her eyes and moved further away from him. "This is Mickey, Marcos's brother." He sat on the chair across from the two, near TJ's new seat, as Jesse took TJ's previous one. Mickey reached for a piece of the candy that was there, but at Brielle's glare retreated without food. She smiled to herself as she pushed a piece of hair from her face and behind her ear. She pulled all of her long, auburn hair back into a tight but messy bun, as Gemma wore hers, then pushed her glasses further onto her freckled nose as she peered at the chatting boys. TJ and Mickey were talking about classes and things while Jesse was just sitting, watching Brielle.

"So," he asked and crossed a leg over his other one, "what is it you wanted to talk with me about?"

"I… um…" she stammered, but then remembered Gemma's advice on the way back from the Headmistress's office. She had said that the best way to get over a social problem was to "engulf yourself in conversations" and "go outside your comfort zone", because, this way, she would "get used to what it was like to talk to others". Brielle took a deep breath and swallowed.

"Well, will you tell me about your housing last year?"

"Housing?" he let out a short breath, "Obviously I was placed in Drakonas by that disgusting Vanduo. Other schools just use a sorting _hat, _which sounds less painful than drinking gross water riddled with spells and charms, then choking and nearly suffocating and making the noise of your house. Except you," he said and cocked his head to the side. His leg kicked back onto the floor as he crossed his arms and sat up a little straighter. "You took it a bit further, huh?"

"It's to my knowledge that you did the same thing," she let the words fly quietly, but they were heard by everyone sitting around the table of sweets. Mickey paused and looked Brielle up and down blankly while TJ tried to distract him. Jesse, on the other hand, had an expression that was anything but blank. His bright green eyes looked enraged as he leaned forward to get closer to the girl without moving from his spot.

"And," his voice got really quiet, and it was a bit spooky, "who exactly told you this?"

"Th-the… The Headmis-mistress," Brielle stammered as she leaned backwards, but there was nowhere else for her to go. She was already at the arm of the couch, "Gemma took me to see her before the Banquet, remember? She told me that you had spit fire, as well, and - "

"Absolutely not," his voice began to become louder again as his brow furrowed. Once a smile, his lips curled into a scowl, "I didn't do anything like that. I'm not some… some freak."

Brielle shrank back at the word she was oh-so familiar with. Switching schools once every few months, she had never fit in correctly with the other kids, and they used to call her weird and a freak all the time. She just never imagined she'd hear it here, where everyone was like her.

_So much for being friends._

"She…" Brielle squeaked, "she said something about us being... connected."

"_Connected?_" Jesse spat, more harshly than she assumed he intended to, but who knew? He seemed easily angered and was _not _happy at the moment, "What do you mean, _connected?_"

"I"m not sure," she said a bit more confidently, but still quietly.

"Is there an issue here, Mister Ramos?" a higher pitched voice cut into their conversation. A short, middle aged woman was standing behind the sofa. She had her muscular arms crossed over her chest as she tapped her foot on the ground. Jesse and Brielle looked up at the blonde, whose hair was pulled back into a tight pony tail. Around her brown eyes was a small nose and thin, pale lips. Brielle recognized her as -

"Professor Dekél," Jesse greeted the head of Drakonas. He looked like he was trying to suppress his anger. "No, no problem at all. Right, Brielle?"

The Professor turned to Brielle, who sat up and straightened out her purple and green tie subconsciously. She locked her jaw and swallowed as she shook her head.

"Hmmph," Dekél made a sound and turned on her heel, finishing her stroll through the common room and leaving the corridor through the dragon's mouth. Brielle turned back to Jesse wide-eyed.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly and moved a little closer. Brielle wished there was somewhere for her to move away to, but none that wouldn't be very obvious. "I have a bit of a rage problem."

"You think?" Mickey sounded. Brielle jumped; she forgot he and TJ were even there. "Dude, you're scaring her senseless." She swallowed a large lump in her throat as Jesse's cheeks hollowed. He looked back at the girl, who hoped he would leave soon.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to call you a freak," Jesse said as Brielle glared at him. She didn't move, and he let out a small, sorry breath.

Mickey apologized for his "friend's anger management issues" and decided that they'd "hit the sheets". He pulled Jesse along, but the anger-infused boy shook free from his friend's grasp. He turned back to Brielle like he was going to say something, but then put his hands in his pockets and followed Mickey back to the first to fourth year dormitory.

"Wow," TJ said and chewed on another piece of chocolate. Brielle stared at the ground, wishing she'd never asked about the fire. "He's… well… that did _not _go as planned."

Brielle rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile at the kid. He just made everything into a joke. He smiled, too. "What?"

"I'm going to bed," Brielle said without answering him and stood from the plush purple couch, "Don't get on too much of a sugar high. We've got classes tomorrow."

TJ smirked and "made no promises". She stood and stumbled into the dormitory on the left, feeling a bit of a sugar rush herself. She made her way to her bed and pet Péleda on the beak. She hopped into her bunk after changing into her pajamas and brushing her teeth, then slept for a good hour. She just couldn't fall back to sleep after that, so she decided to go see if TJ was still awake.

Maybe it was more than an hour, because when she'd gone to sleep, there were probably thirty students in the common room. She'd gone to bed at around 9:30, and now there were only a few students left, most of them older and writing essays or letters and things. Classes haven't even started and all of them already looked swamped. She then spotted two familiar people with their backs to her. About to talk to them, she thought better of it because they looked like they were having an intense conversation. Brielle walked up to the pillar by their chairs and stood behind it, peeking out around it to see if she could hear them. And she could.

"Relax," Shaun's voice whispered as he placed a hand on Gemma's elbow. Brielle could see them, but hopefully they wouldn't be able to see her. "We're going to be fine."

"Shaun," Gemma's voice sounded strained, more so than when Brielle had asked what Shaun is to her, "she's back and Brielle is a living embodiment of her. She's - "

Brielle suddenly wished she hadn't been able to hear them.

"Don't talk like that," Shaun cut her off and moved closer, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. Even in the faint light, Brielle could see her cheeks turn bright pink. But forgetting about Gemma's _feelings_, as she'd called them, she wondered why Gemma was so stressed about Brielle being at the school.

"With her here, she'll surely find the school - "

"Stop." Gemma did as she was told, and Shaun stared intently at the girl, his pitch black eyes probably searing into hers. He gave her a small smile and put an arm around her shoulder. She laid her head on his bicep and he looked down to her head, the hair on top of which was dark and wavy under her beanie. Brielle assumed it was Shaun's beanie from the looks of his own messy hair, but he was letting her wear it. His light brown hair was stuck upwards in the front, which seemed to be the trend for him, though the back was really messy.

He pressed his thick framed glasses up on his nose and took the beanie off her head, pressing his lips gently to where it once was. Brielle couldn't help but gag a little, and she let out a quiet but audible choking noise. Shaun's head shot up and Brielle ducked back behind the pillar, hoping he hadn't seen her. She could hear Gemma ask what was wrong, but Shaun didn't answer. After about two minutes, Brielle peeked her head back out to see if they were paying attention, but Gemma was asleep on top of Shaun's arm, and Shaun was paying too much attention to Gemma to notice Brielle's presence.

She scurried from behind the pillar and back to the room undetected, though she couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about when Gemma said _"With her here, she'll surely find the school." _Brielle knew who the _her _was, but...

Who was the _she_?

The next day was absolutely hectic. People were scurrying everywhere around the school with schedules in hand, trying to find their way to classes. The hallway that the Prefects had led them down apparently was not the only major hallway in the school, though it seemed long enough to be. TJ and Brielle stuck together for their classes, as it was easier to stick together than get lost individually.

For classes this year, the rules had changed and apparently first years would only be learning with other first years, not seconds and thirds, too. Brielle was a bit bummed out, but happy at the same time, as this meant that she wouldn't have to hear Jesse and Connor bicker until flying lessons. First through third years were supposed to take flying lessons, though Brielle wasn't sure why seconds and thirds would need them. Then again, they all couldn't be in Drakonas.

There were two houses per class, and it wasn't always the same combination. For Herbology and Astronomy, the Drakonas house was mixed with Ara. Brielle instantly saw what Marcos had meant by Ara getting in the way. None of them ever paid attention and spent most of their time before and after class singing, and during class doodling and drawing with their quills. Professor Rikki Dekél, who was the Herbology teacher, stopped every time she noticed a student doodling (which was quite often) and waited for them to notice (which took ages). The Astronomy teacher, Professor Gale Lewis, didn't seem to mind and just kept teaching, but didn't repeat things because "if you don't pay attention, I don't really care, but it's on you when testing comes around".

Raposo was by far the most fun to be in a class with. They were in Charms with Professor Noah Morrison - the head of Voras - and Hunter Boyle kept chewing gum that made him sound like different animals when Morrison turned around. He'd whip back to face the class angrily, but Hunter would simply close his mouth and the sounds would cease. In the History of Magic, Arnold Baker sent several paper birds flying around the room with different messages for people, most earning snickers and laughs from his classmates. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Delanie Yule was walking the aisles when she passed Benji Graves, who quickly ate a piece of chocolate that made him appear as the professor. He stood and began to pace close behind her, mimicking her actions and words as if there were two of her; which, obviously, there was. The class would begin to laugh, and she would stop pacing and peer around the room, but never behind her. When she finally caught on, though, she laughed, too. Of course she would - she _was _the head of Raposo, after all.

While Raposo was the most fun, Voras was the least. They really hated the Drakonas house. Some of the first year Voras students tended to sleep in class, Cameron not being one of them. When they weren't sleeping, they weren't exactly paying attention. They were usually picking on Drakonas kids, who were trying to listen to the teachers. They did the same in Potions with Evan, but he didn't seem to care.

"If they want to sleep or not pay attention, by all means let them," he'd said along the same lines as Professor Lewis, "but it's not my fault if their hair 'accidentally' catches fire when we heat the cauldrons, or slug guts 'accidentally' spill on them." He gave the class a wink, and then continued on with his lecture.

The only time when every student was listening was Flying Lessons with Scott Padral. There were more than just the first years in this class, but there weren't as many students. Flying Lessons and lunch were apparently interchangeable, so half of the students from each year took flying while the other half ate lunch, and then they switched. Unfortunately, Jesse was in Brielle's class, as was Connor, and as was Cameron.

"This should be good," TJ whispered, obviously spotting the same group as Brielle had. Connor and Cameron stood rather close to each other, which seemed to rub Jesse the wrong way. His new friend, whose name Brielle didn't know, held Jesse's arm, clearly holding him back from ripping something of Connor's out of him. Cameron smiled at Brielle and TJ as the professor began speaking.

"Welcome, first years, to Flying," he spoke with confidence as he peered across the crowd of students. There were slightly more than in the other classes, despite half from each house being at lunch. "Third and second years, welcome back. Here's how this will work." He began to pace in front of the line of kids, and some third years rolled their eyes. "Third years will help me teach the first years, and second years, you will review your skills and perfect your flying mechanics. Understood?" The students all groaned and tiredly said _yes_, and he clapped his hands.

The professor taught the students how to command and mount their brooms, and the third years kicked off the ground and flew above the others. Second years performed each step the Professor said easily, while first years struggled to even get their brooms off the ground. TJ and Brielle got theirs up quickly, as did some other Drakonas, but it took the Voras first years a few tries. The second years did it easily and some helped other students.

Connor stood next to Cameron and took her hand, "correcting her technique". Jesse, who was watching carefully, gritted his teeth and restrained himself from storming over there. When Cameron thanked him and he pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, Jesse lost it. He threw the broom to the ground and began to storm across the field when his friend flew down and in front of him, blocking his path. Jesse began to yell at him, but he wouldn't let him through.

Brielle could see how flying lessons were going to go this year…

After Jesse calmed down and retreated to his place with his broom, he kicked off the ground and flew into the air, staying close to his friend. Professor Padral didn't seem to notice he'd gone. Once the rest of the first years were ready, the professor showed them how to kick off, hover, and steer. It was easy for Brielle, who the professor praised, but it seemed difficult for the others, even those in Drakonas.

"Why don't you join the second years in the air?" Professor Padral suggested kindly as the rest of the second years kicked off and joined the thirds, "Try out your control." Brielle nodded and flew a bit higher, though her grip was shaky. She looked around for anyone who she knew, but the only ones were either Connor or Jesse. She wanted to talk to Connor, but with all Jesse's done so far, Brielle didn't want to show that she used to be friends with him. She flew over to Jesse and his friend, who were chatting quietly.

"Jesse," Brielle said as she flew up, and both stopped talking and looked at her with wide eyes. She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You can fly?" his friend asked curiously and Brielle nodded.

"Evan taught me to hover and a little bit of broom control at home," she explained, "but only a bit." They both nodded, taking that in like she'd just said she was a trained professional. She looked down at the ground to the other first years and spotted a fiery-haired boy strolling up to Professor Padral. She recognized him as Marcos.

"I'm Brian," Jesse's friend said and held a hand out. Brielle shook it as she tried to balance on her broom and introduced herself, but kept her eyes to the ground. Both Jesse and Brian followed her gaze, and Jesse's face lit up.

"What's he doing here?" Jesse asked with a smile. Maybe they were good friends. She had seen them talking in the common room this morning and at breakfast, so it was entirely possible. Jesse flew down happily to greet the Quidditch captain, and Brian just kind of looked at Brielle.

"What?" she asked as the boy glared at her. He shrugged, and she looked back at the ground.

Soon enough, Marcos flew back up with Jesse to meet the other two. They relaxed on their brooms, but Brielle couldn't bring herself to loosen her grip.

"First year hovering so high already?" Marcos asked as he looked Brielle up and down, "Haven't seen that in a while, even from Drakonas."

"Not true," Jesse said matter-of-factly, "I was hovering last year before everyone else."

"That's why we made you keeper," Marcos recalled, "But I meant a _girl,_ last one I saw was Gemma and I hadn't even been on the Quidditch team yet. Can you control yourself?"

Brielle shrugged and kept her eyes to the ground, but then remembered that she wanted to "branch out". She had an internal argument with herself, one part saying that she'd "already made friends", but the other half saying "he's the captain of the Quidditch team". She looked back up at the three older kids staring at her, waiting for her to answer.

"I can try…" she stammered, and Marcos smiled and pulled his wand from his coat pocket. He waved it a bit, and before him appeared a baseball and a wooden bat. It looked like the one Brielle used at home when Larissa tried to get her involved in Muggle sports, which really hadn't worked out too well. She played baseball for a season as the best batter on the team, but the boys who played didn't appreciate her being on their team and bullied her into leaving. Marcos handed her the bat, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"What is this for?"

He chuckled and said, "To hit the baseball with, of course." She took the bat, which was just her size, and examined it. She hadn't even realized she wasn't holding the broom anymore. "I want to test something." Brielle's eyes examined his face, which was contorted into some odd type of smile. Jesse's eyes narrowed and brow furrowed.

"Marcos," he warned, "don't."

He glared at the American, who stared right back. "She'd be perfect. None of the older girls have an interest in being on the team. Anyways, Dekél wants another young one."

"She's just a first year for this test, though," he growled.

"As were you."

"All I had to do was hover and catch, not hit."

"But you _were _a first year." That seemed to shut Jesse up. "Go long." Marcos ignored Jesse's anger as he threw the ball far. There had to be _some _sort of charm on it; it went further than even the professionals could throw. She looked back at Marcos, then to the ball and realized she should probably follow it. Her eyes widened and she raced through the sky. She caught up to the red-laced ball pretty quickly, and even got ahead of it. It was just about to start coming down as Brielle whipped around and smacked the ball hard. She grinned as it flew back towards Marcos.

What did Jesse know? She could do anything he did last year, and better. Brielle followed the ball again and got back to Marcos after about a minute. She didn't go as fast this time, as she didn't feel it was necessary, and relaxed on her broom. When she approached, he smiled with the baseball in hand, and Jesse actually didn't look angry; he looked content.

"Why did I have to do that?" she asked with a bit of a smile. He gave a smirk.

"I think you should come try out for the Quidditch team this year. You'd be a good beater, like Professor Madrack was when he played." The bat and ball disappeared, and Marcos gave Jesse a shove and Brielle a smile, then flew back to the ground. Brielle's eyes went to Jesse, who looked half-happy and half-worried.

"Nicely done," Brian smiled, "you've got good broom control."

"Thanks," she whispered, but kept her eyes on Jesse. He looked at her intently, like he was going to say something, but then the professor called the students back down. They retreated from the air, some reluctantly and some gladly, until they hit the ground. Brielle joined TJ again as Jesse walked off with Brian.

"You're really good!" TJ exclaimed to the girl, "You've got to try out for the team this year, Brielle, you've got to. I don't think I've ever seen a rookie so good."

Brielle gave a small smile as they walked back indoors, making their way to the Main Hall. The two ate lunch, Brielle quicker than TJ because she was anxious and nervous about the whole Quidditch team thing. She didn't know if she wanted to play her first year here, she'd never really flown before today; just hovered.

"You alright?" TJ asked and nudged her and finished crunching on some chips, "you've been quiet all lunch."

"I'm always quiet," she reminded him, and he gave a _touché _nod. People began to make their way to their next class, so TJ and Brielle did the same. They followed some other first years around the corner and up a spiral staircase to Transfiguration with Professor Wren Howe, the supposedly evil bird man from introductions. Unfortunately, the class was with the Voras first years, so there would be more snores. At least they'd be able to sit near Cameron without Connor there.

The tables sat three to a desk, and the class seemed completely full; TJ and Brielle sat together and waited for someone - hopefully Cameron - to take the last seat. Cameron entered the room right before the class started, and TJ waved her over. She smiled wide and plopped down next to him.

"I can't believe you're in Voras," TJ said with bewilderment, "Who knew…you're so..._not_ Voras. Ever since we were in grade school, you've been the only girl to play sports and things."

"_I _can't believe you're friends with _my brother_," her eyes widened at Brielle as she put her hair into another tight blonde ponytail. She seemed like she'd ignored TJ almost completely and directed her words just at the other girl, "He's not a people person, I hope he's not been too mean, especially after your fire in the Main Hall. He doesn't take well to people who are different." She must not've known about _his _fire from last year. Brielle shook her head quickly, though TJ gave her a look that he knew she was lying for Cameron's sake.

"Welcome," a voice from the back of the classroom sounded. Everyone turned to see the young, attractive teacher smiling at the class. His dull green eyes scanned the class as he showed a brilliant smile. He rubbed his short, stubbly beard as he made his way to the front of the room slowly and gave the first years the usual speech about what they were going to do in class this year. More Voras were paying attention during the Transfiguration lecture, which worried Brielle; if they paid attention in the class that teaches someone to change the shape of another person, then they must've been planning _something _evil.

"He's cute," Cameron whispered to Brielle, and she smiled at her blonde friend.

"I think so," she said quietly back with a smile, and TJ let out a choking sound and rolled his eyes. The professor cleared his throat.

"Is there a problem, you three?" he demanded and crossed his arms. He suddenly became slightly less cute.

"None," Cameron said with a little smile, and the professor approached their table. He stood in front of TJ first.

"I know you," he said with distaste, "You're the Barry boy, aren't you?" TJ nodded and the professor continued, "Your mother was a good friend of mine in school. It's a real shame."

"What's a shame?" TJ demanded, and Brielle didn't like where this was going. Yep, he definitely wasn't cute anymore.

"That she married that bum of a man father of yours." There were snickers and sneers from the Voras students and before TJ could spark a rebuttal, the Professor held up his wand, so TJ sat silently with a scowl. Howe moved on and strolled past Brielle, putting his hands behind his back and now facing Cameron. "And Miss Ramos, Kelly, right?"

"Cameron," she corrected with a smile, but it quickly faded when he added his next comment.

"You'd better watch your brothers mouth for him, because obviously he can't do it for himself. He's such an awful child. Jacob is - "

"It's Jesse," Brielle spoke up, but kept her eyes forward. Professor Howe turned his head to face Brielle,

"Ah, Little Miss Hawkins," he took a step over and Brielle left her eyes locked straight ahead, trying not to look at the professor. He adjusted himself by kneeling so they had to look at each other. She stared off to the side and crossed her arms tight and protectively over her chest. "Brielle, isn't it? I know about you. The _foster sister _of Professor Madrack, the Potions professor, hmm? Then you must know all sorts of things about magic, right?" He stood and walked in a circle around her desk. "I'm sure you could teach this class for me, couldn't you?" When he got to the front, he spun on his heel and faced her again, expecting an answer. "Hmm?"

"I… um…" she stammered. Brielle didn't like being put on the spot.

"_Um_ what?" he bombarded her, speaking quickly and not giving her room to interrupt, "_Um_ is the response of the ignorant, of the annoyed. Of the _idiotic_."

"I - "

"_Um_ is what people say when they've got something to hide." He slammed his hands down onto the table, making Brielle flinch. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Professor Howe," TJ said and moved closer to Brielle protectively, but the teacher didn't listen to him.

"Have you got something to hide, Miss Hawkins?" His face got close to Brielle's, who began to shake.

"I - " she squeaked.

"Professor," TJ yelled and stood up. He put his hands on the table and leaned forward to meet the teacher's gaze. The rest of the students in the classroom were silent, and the courageous boy stared angrily at the teacher as Brielle opened her eyes. Howe's burning stare was now on TJ rather than her, "Surely, that's enough."

Howe let out a short breath and removed his hands from the table. "If that's enough, then pay attention during my class." He retreated to the front of the room as TJ sat down. Cameron slung an arm around Brielle with concern, but Brielle's paled face stayed solid. She didn't waver in her expression; eyes locked forward, lips in a small frown, brow low over her eyeline.

_Now _she knew why all the girls didn't have a crush on _him._


	6. 5 : Tough Break and an Invisible Man

**Chapter 5: Tough Break and an Invisible Man**

**I hope you like it so far, I'm really proud that I've gotten 109 reads! (I don't know how good that is but hey I think it's pretty good for 5 chapters) Please be sure to favorite or follow or review if you like the story so far, especially review. I like to hear what everyone has to say :)**

**Enjoy and happy reading :)**

**~J**

**(PS, if I get to 200 reads by my next chapter, I'll start telling you about myself :D)**

_"So, what is it you have to hide?" Brielle was back for another Transfiguration class with Professor Howe, and she found herself being interrogated in front of the class once more. This time, TJ wasn't sticking up for her, and Cameron wasn't even paying attention. "Is it the fact that you don't have a solid home?"_

_"I do," Brielle responded meekly, "Professor, please - "_

_"Is it that you've no family?"_

_"Stop - "_

_"It's that you don't have any friends either," he just kept going, "Maybe it was that you were beaten in other foster homes, and now you think you've finally got something with Evan's family."_

_"No - "_

_"It's that you think Evan and all love you but they don't, not anymore than the others did. He's the same as they were."_

_"He's not, please, Professor - "_

_"Oh, but he is." Howe rushed over to the desk and knelt in front of her, and she squeezed her eyes shut, "He is, Brielle. Why do you think they didn't make you Brielle Madrack, hm? They're not your family."_

_"Professor, enough," Brielle finally spoke up this time, but Howe was already lifting his hands. They slammed down onto the desk and made Brielle jump. Her eyes shot open to darkness._

_"Leave me alone!" she screamed._

"Brielle!"

She shot upright and the room was silent, other than the subtle sounds of snores and heavy breaths. She was sweating bullets, but was cold and shaking at the same time. Her own breathing was short and shallow as she looked to the left to see no one, then to her right to see a Prefect. Gemma's dark hair was pulled into a loose braid going down her shoulder as she knelt beside the bed. Her hazel eyes blended in with the dark, but Brielle knew they were comforting and worried. She could almost feel the worry pulsating from her thoughts. Brielle shook fiercely with wide eyes as she looked at the sixth year.

"Gemma…"

"You alright?" Brielle wasn't really sure if she was okay or not. Gemma sat down on the edge of the bed. Brielle sat upright as Gemma wrapped her in a blanket. Even the deep breaths that typically calmed her didn't help. "What happened in the dream? I heard people talking from the hallway and came in to get everyone to sleep, and you were squirming around and mumbling about TJ and Cameron and Howe..."

"He… He just…" she didn't want to relive it, but she could feel the vibration from the table rattling through her bones. "They didn't do anything," she stammered, "They just sat there while he yelled at me and…and…"

Gemma told her not to say it if she was too freaked out, so she was quiet. Her breaths became steadier and she leaned her head on the sixth year's shoulder. Gemma's arm wrapped around Brielle like it had when she brought her into the common room for the first time. Finally, after about three minutes of silence, she spoke up.

"Today in Transfiguration, Professor Howe - " she started slowly, but Gemma shushed her.

"I know, he's a jerk," she whispered, "I heard what happened in class. I just didn't think you'd be getting nightmares about it." Her voice sounded angry, but the comforting look was still on her face. "He's a coward is what he is, yelling at a first year like that. He should be ashamed of himself, he really should."

Brielle sat up and asked, "How'd you know?"

"Well, Jesse's sister told him, an enraged Jesse ranted to Marcos, who was pissed about Howe picking on first years, so he complained to Shaun because Shaun's family is in Ara, and he told me everything. He may have exaggerated some parts, but I heard it through the grapevine, so what can you expect," she explained, "Shaun said that Professor Howe embarrassed all three of you today." Brielle nodded silently. "He said he called TJ's dad a 'bum of a man'." She nodded again, and Gemma looked very concerned at that, "and Cameron 'Kelly' and Jesse 'Jacob'." _Nod_. "And you tried to help, but he just made it worse for you until TJ told him to stop."

Brielle, rather than nodding again, looked across the dormitory to TJ. He was sound asleep on his stomach with one arm hanging off the bed and the other under his face. It was unbelievable how, in two short days, TJ was closer and nicer to her than anyone her age had been in a long time.

"Hmm," Gemma sounded with a smirk and raised an eyebrow. Brielle mimicked her expression.

"What?" She seemed to be asking _what _a lot while she was here.

"I think one of us prefers TJ, and it's certainly not me…" Brielle almost choked on air because she wanted to laugh so badly, but she had to stay silent since everyone was sleeping.

"Oh please. I don't _prefer _anyone - "

"Oh come on, Brielle. I always catch you looking at him, you're always together. I think you like him, and I'm smart enough to know when I'm right," She paused and leaned in a little, "And this is one of those times."

"Gemma," she said maturely, "I'm eleven years old."

"Brielle," Gemma copied her tone with a smile, "_eleven_ doesn't mean _emotionless_." They stayed silent for a little longer, as Brielle didn't have a response for that comment, until the sixth year patted Brielle's leg and stood from the bed. Brielle laid back down and closed her eyes, not even thinking about Professor Howe anymore, but now thinking about someone else...

"For the record," Gemma whispered as she pulled the blanket over the first year's shoulder, "I think he fancies you, as well." Brielle's eyes widened and she shot up, but Gemma was already jogging past the end of the bedpost. She was too far for Brielle to yell after her without waking everyone else up, but close enough to see Gemma give a wink. As she strolled out the door, Brielle looked back at TJ's bed. He'd shifted so his hands were tucked under his cheek and his blanket wrapped around his torso. His dark green shirt was out of order and his usually messy hair was ruffled even more. His breathing was mixed in with the rest of the house's, but she felt like she could only hear his deep, quiet breaths.

He truly was a good friend; Brielle knew that after two days. She laid back down in bed and let her thoughts wander to what Gemma had said about how her age didn't necessarily mean she was completely deadpanned as she drifted slowly back to sleep.

Today, Brielle walked to Potions alone. TJ had to stay in class after Charms was over to speak to Professor Morrison, all because idiot Benji Graves from Raposo blamed one of his practical jokes on TJ. He had to stay after to try and explain his way out of the detention he was awarded, but he'd be late to Potions, so Brielle went on her way. She couldn't find any of the Drakonas Prefects to help get her to class, so she tried to find the route they'd taken yesterday.

She got lost rather quickly.

The girl found herself in a hallway alone after class had already started. The hall was dark and lined with paintings, all of which had people in them. The paintings greeted Brielle as she ventured through the corridor. A plump, pale man in one painting even recognized her, though she'd never seen him before.

"Hello, Miss Hawkins," the man said sweetly, but he was a little creepy.

"Hi," she said shortly and walked quickly past him.

As she made her way to the end of the hall, Brielle heard a clanking and crashing behind her. She whipped around and saw a pure silvery-white figure down the other end that had just knocked over some armour. Brielle watched as the figure tried to pick the metal back up, but he couldn't get a grip. He was a ghost.

"Oi, you," he called to Brielle, and when she responded with a _yes_, he seemed very pleased. "Help a ghost out, hmm?"

She stepped back down the hall cautiously (but hurried past the creepy man) and helped the ghost pick up the chest piece and chain link, though she didn't know how he could've knocked it over without being able to pick it back up. It was like how Rodger was able to carry luggage and things, but not shove Brielle.

"Thank you very much, I - " he cut himself off when he got a better look at Brielle. He put his hands on his nonexistent hips. "Well, I'll be. Brielle Hawkins."

"Y-yes sir," she stammered and gave a small smile.

"I know you, I do," he said, and she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, "though I bet you get that a lot, I'm sure."

"A bit, yes."

The man looked sort of familiar; he was tall and very _very _skinny with a large puffy shirt and puffy pants to match. He was completely bald, other than a small mustache that was thin around his upper lip and went to the corners of his mouth. He reminded her of William Shakespeare, except he didn't have a beard like Shakespeare did. Maybe that's why he looked so familiar. "Who exactly are you?" Brielle questioned.

"Me?" he retorted, waving a hand in dismissal, "They call me the Invisible Man, they do. How original, right?"

"Quite," she joked, then heard faint footsteps coming down the hall.

"I've been meaning to talk to you, I have. I've got some information for you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you," the Invisible Man pulled a scroll out of his pocket and cleared his throat, as if he was about to announce something. Then he rolled the scroll back up and glided a little closer to the girl. "_You_ should do some research on the Hat of Hohwald, you should."

"The Hat of Hohwald?"

"Brielle?" a voice sounded from behind her.

She turned around and saw TJ standing at the end of the hall with a smile. He strode up to her with a bounce in his step. "I thought you'd be in Potions by now. Say, who were you talking to?"

"I got lost and ran into the Invisible Man," she waved her hand to her ghostly friend, who smiled but looked concerned at the same time.

"Who?"

"The Invisible Man," she repeated, but then her face turned into confusion, "right next to me."

"I'll say he's invisible," TJ said uneasily, "Brielle, I don't see anyone." He shifted from foot to foot, and she was befuddled.

"This is why I'm the _Invisible _Man…" the ghost said sadly. Brielle looked at TJ, but he seemed like he couldn't even hear the voice. "He can't see me, he can't."

"Let's go," TJ said with a frown, almost overlapping with the words of the Invisible Man, "We don't want to be even later than we're already." Brielle stared back at the Invisible Man, who gave her a wink and glided backwards, the silvery finish that accompanied all ghosts shimmering in the light of the corridor. She faced TJ again and followed him, but silently made a mental note to research that hat.

As they walked to Potions, TJ tried to tell her about how he got out of the detention, but Brielle's mind wasn't there. She was too focused on why he couldn't see the Invisible Man, but she could. They entered the room and all of the students stopped what they were doing and turned around. Evan gave a small, warm smile.

"Mister Barry, Miss Hawkins. Glad you could join us today." The pair made their way to an empty desk as the other students gradually went back to work. TJ handed his pass to Evan, but the professor looked expectantly at Brielle.

"I… I got lost," she spoke, as if he _wasn't _the foster brother who she'd spent the past few years of her life with. Suddenly her mind went back to the nightmare, when Professor Howe had said that if Evan was her _real _family, she'd be Brielle _Madrack, _not _Hawkins._ She pushed the thought from the front of her mind to the back, but was still hurt by it.

"Oh, that's quite alright, Elle," he said genuinely and went back to the front of the room. TJ smiled at the name_._

"I like that," he said, "_Elle_. It's a lot shorter than Brielle."

"If you're implying that you'd like to call me _Elle,_" she said with a small smile and a raised eyebrow, "You can." He gave a small laugh and shook his head.

"Nah, I'm waiting until I think of my own _original _nickname for you," he gave a devilish smirk and wiggled his eyebrows.

TJ and Brielle started the beginners' lesson that was on the blackboard - it was mostly things to learn how to setup and tear down their station - but she was still worried about the Invisible Man.

"I'll be right back," she told her partner, who was too busy examining a container of unicorn mucus to notice she was leaving. Brielle made her way to the front of the room where Evan was sitting.

"What's up, Stretch?" he asked and gave the same awkward smile as always.

"Do you know who the Invisible Man is? I ran into him in the hall and TJ couldn't see him." She bounced on the balls of her feet and waited for his response, though his brow furrowed. She didn't like where this was going to go.

"Brielle, I've heard of him from the Ramos kid, but no one else has seen him. He hasn't revealed himself to anyone except apparently you two. I honestly don't believe - "

" - You don't believe we saw him? I had an actual _conversation _with him," she began to get angry, "I… I - "

The bell rang, and Evan stood from his seat and clapped his hands. "Please do some research on the Babbling Beverage, as that's what we will be brewing tomorrow," he announced to the class, then looked back down at his foster sister and gave a small sad smile.

"I'm sorry, I just - "

"Whatever Evan," Brielle mumbled and stormed back to her seat. She grabbed her bag roughly and stormed past TJ without even acknowledging he was there. He called after her, but she stormed through the halls with her head down. One moment, she was flying past people - though she wasn't sure where she was going - and another moment, she was on the ground with her books all around her and her hand on her head. Her glasses were knocked from her nose again, but she knew they'd be fine since Gemma had forever fixed them. She pawed the floor for her books as someone in front of her helped pick them up as well. Her glasses were placed on her nose without words from the other person.

Brielle's eyes flickered up to the boy who was picking up her books, and who other than Jesse was staring back. She let out a breath and held back an involuntary eye roll. If he was being nice, she should at least try to be, as well. "I'm sorry, Jesse - "

"Save it," he said quietly as they stood up and he handed the last of her books back, "You seem upset and having to talk to me would probably make it worse. It wasn't a problem." The two began to walk down the hallway, and Brielle was speechless. She didn't know what to say since he told her she didn't _have_ to say anything, which she was a bit grateful for. If she had to explain what was happening, she would've lost it. Jesse branched off to meet with Brian once they got to Flying, and TJ was already there.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a bit of concern, "You've been off all day, Brielle."

"Yeah, it's nothing," she gave a weak smile and pushed it aside, and TJ obviously caught on that he should just leave it be, regardless of how bad a liar she was. It wasn't nothing. It wasn't even the fact that Evan and TJ couldn't see the Invisible Man, but quite frankly, it stung when they seemed to think she was going _mad _and didn't even _consider _that there could be a man of the sorts. It would've made sense if they didn't believe her because she had a background of making things like these up, but she didn't.

Brielle decided to stay focused on the lesson and school in general, not so much on the Invisible Man - for right now, at least. She needed to get a head start on the school year, plus she desperately wanted to make the Quidditch team and show everyone that she could, even as a first year.

Though, as she flew, she didn't really push the Man out of her mind. He and the Hat of Hohwald (or whatever he'd called it) were stuck in the front of her brain. Why, she didn't know.

Okay, that was a lie. She knew _exactly _why she couldn't stop thinking of them. Stupid curiosity.

Brielle perched herself comfortably on her broom, glaring out across the lesson. She watched some first years struggling on the ground still, the Voras kids mostly. An eye roll accompanied one girl whenever the professor turned around because he kept correcting her form and she didn't understand why (she kept saying, "I've been flying since before you were even _awarded _the title 'flying instructor.'").

"You seem happy," Brian's voice interrupted sarcastically as he flew next to Brielle. Jesse joined him on the other side of her. "You want company?" She just glared lazily at him and said _no thank you_, and he nodded. "Too bad, we're staying." She rolled her eyes at their insistence, but let it go. Jesse flew in front of Brielle and perched himself cross-legged on his broom, mimicking the way she was sitting.

"You okay?" he asked, but didn't seem genuine, "I heard you yelling at Howe in your sleep last night."

"Oi, that was you?" Brian chimed in, and Brielle could feel all the heat in her body rise to her cheeks, "I kept hearing _'no, no professor please, stop professor' _and _'TJ do something_'_._ Do you want to talk about it?" He made a mockingly sympathetic face as Brielle rolled her eyes.

"Please shove _off_, Brian," she mumbled and flew away rapidly, as if he couldn't just follow her. Which Jesse ended up doing.

"That was a bit rude," he told her sarcastically, "Brian's just trying to be nice."

"I said please," she pointed out and crossed her arms, "But I don't see why _you_ get to call _me _rude."

"Maybe because you are…?" Jesse was a completely different person from before, when he'd helped her pick her books up. It was crazy how quickly his personality could change.

"You're _kidding _me, aren't you, Jesse?" it took everything she had not to full on yell at him, "You called me a freak for spitting fire, even though I _know _you did the same last year." His face turned a slight shade of red. "You've yelled at me every day so far and seem like you can't go ten seconds without doing something to embarrass me and make me feel like a twit."

"But, you _are _a twit," Jesse joked with a small smirk, and Brielle looked at him with annoyance.

"Are you not listening?" she practically screamed with a slight, disbelieving laugh to her voice, "Don't joke with me as if you're my friend, because, even though at the Banquet you said we could try to get along, you haven't been putting in your half of this 'friendship'. You've been nothing but obnoxious ever since the Banquet so don't even _pretend _like we're friends."

"Oh, come on, Brielle," he said with that ignorant, idiotic, stupid smile and shoved Brielle's arm "playfully". He ended up pushing her a little too hard, though, and she lost her balance. She toppled from her broom, hurtling fast towards the ground. This wasn't like when she and Evan were transported to the Duka; she wasn't going to slow down three feet from the ground. Brielle let out a scream and heard someone else yell out, as well. Before she knew it, she hit the ground with a thud, the broomstick hitting her square in the head. She heard a crack and a sharp pain in her shoulder. And then things went black.

When she woke up, Brielle was in the hospital wing. She tried to sit upright, but her head was pounding every time she moved even the slightest bit. Her entire left arm - shoulder and all - was killing her; there was a large cast around it and it was held over her head by a sling attached to a pole.

"Whoa there, kid," a kind voice, Gemma's, said from the bedside. She put her hands on Brielle's shoulders lightly to keep her laying down, "Take it easy. You've only just woken up. Do you want anything to drink?"

"No, thank you," she responded and gave a small smile, "Right now, I'd just like to sit up." Gemma reluctantly helped Brielle, but it was still very painful all over her body, not just her head. She gritted her teeth, but finally got up. Shaun was with Gemma - which wasn't a surprise - and stood at the end of Brielle's bed.

"You took a nasty fall," he pointed out, "You really shouldn't sit up yet." Gemma gave him a sharp look, and he dropped the matter. "I saw what happened from the Charms room. Who was with you, on the other broom? I saw someone fly down after you but you fell too fast."

"Jesse," she mumbled, and Gemma looked confused, "he thought we're friends, but he's just a - "

"Wait, what exactly happened?" Gemma interrupted, and good thing, too, because Brielle probably would've called him words she technically wasn't allowed to say as an eleven year old.

"I'll tell you what happened," a rather large woman with hair in a tiny, sprouting ponytail on top of her head walked up to the bedside and leaned on the wall. She had a kind voice but looked a little rough around the edges, "You dislocated your shoulder, broke your wrist, sprained your ankle, _and _you have a severe concussion." _Dang_, Brielle thought. She swallowed, but even that hurt. "Shaun's right, that _was _quite a fall. You're gonna have to stay here for another few days, and no flying for two weeks after that to give your head and wrist a rest."

"But, the tryouts - " Brielle tried to argue, but the look on the woman's face showed she was serious. This was a huge disappointment for Brielle. The Drakonas tryouts were scheduled on two fridays from now - ten days away. _Ten days._ And Brielle wouldn't even be allowed to go.

"I'm sorry, but we haven't got all of the ingredients needed for the potion that'd normally heal that faster. Harvey was supposed to order them over the summer but didn't until this morning. They won't be in for another week or so. Sorry, kiddo," she seemed genuinely upset as she walked away. Brielle looked sadly at Gemma.

"Marcos told me I'd be a good fit," she whimpered to the pair of Prefects and tried to readjust herself, but it hurt to much to move anywhere, "They need a beater."

"I know," Shaun agreed sympathetically and strolled over to the side of the bed. He helped Brielle readjust herself without it hurting too badly. "I'm sorry." They sat in silence for a few minutes, and then Shaun turned to Gemma. "We'd better go." She nodded, but kept her eyes on Brielle.

"We do have to go," she told Brielle and put her hand over the first year's. Brielle gave a small smile.

"Don't worry about it, Gemma. Thank you for checking on me, but really, I'm fine."

She didn't look convinced - probably because Brielle's voice was hoarse and scratchy - but Gemma stood with Shaun and walked away quietly. They got to the door, and it burst open, an eager student looking around. Of course it was Jesse. His sad and terrified eyes locked with Brielle's and he began to walk over, but Shaun grabbed his arm before he made any progress. He shoved Jesse a little into the door, and when he tried to push against Shaun, he shoved Jesse harder into the wall, even though he was only twelve and Shaun was sixteen. Gemma put a hand on his shoulder, but he stayed put.

"I don't think she wants to see you, mate," he told Jesse roughly. Jesse's eyes moved from Brielle to Shaun and back again, but Shaun was serious. "Let's go, come on." Jesse nodded and left the hospital wing slowly, before the two Prefects. Brielle was silently grateful to Shaun for doing that for her; they weren't friends, he was probably just here for Gemma's sake. But still, it was a kind thing to do. He turned before he left and gave Brielle a small nod, then followed Jesse and Gemma out the door.

Throughout the four days spent in the hospital wing, Brielle made friends with Madame Greene, the woman who worked there. A few times a day, she'd sit down with Brielle and bring her food, and she gradually helped Brielle move from the above-the-head sling to a sling that settled on her shoulder, and eventually to no sling at all. Her shoulder was back in the right place, but her wrist was still broken. Her sprained ankle was healed too, but not by a brace - Madame Greene said she didn't need any sort of splint for it since her concussion kept her bed-ridden for the time being, plus the medication she was taking strengthened the ankle by itself.

TJ came by once a day before dinner with Cameron, bringing her any homework assignments and telling her everything that's been happening in classes, mostly Transfiguration with Professor Howe-is-he-still-employed, as they began to call him. He'd been rough on anyone who stepped out of line during his class, but most recently, he was talking about Brielle.

"He said that it wasn't a shock someone like you fell off her broom, especially since you kept babbling _um _like an idiot," TJ told her distastefully with an American accent, "He's a coward, is what he is. Jesse _pushed _you, I saw it."

"He hadn't meant to," Brielle told them. She didn't know if this was true or not, but she was trying to spare Cameron's feelings. She clearly felt bad that her brother had done it, and, although TJ probably didn't mean to, he was making it worse on Cameron.

Gemma and Shaun stopped by one more time, after dinner on the second day. Shaun had left early, and Brielle took this opportunity to ask Gemma a few questions. "Gemma, do you know anything about the Hat of Hohwald?" Gemma let out a short breath and racked her memory, then nodded.

"The Hat was created by Lorenzo Hohwald, who was a very scientific wizard. His discoveries and inventions ran more along the lines of Muggle science than they did magic, though he used magic to achieve his ends sometimes. The Hat was one of those times.

The story goes that Hohwald wanted to start a bonfire for the leaves he'd raked, but every time he finally got a fire going, his neighbor would blast his hose and put the fire out. Hohwald wanted to get back at him so badly that he took his favorite wizard's hat and riddled it with spells and charms until it contained the ability to control fire. He wore the Hat one day and burned all of the leaves, and, when his neighbor tried to put the fire out, he made it grow and grow, and then sent it at the man's house. The home and everything inside of it was destroyed, and Hohwald became obsessed with power, then dropped off the earth for a few years." She paused and furrowed her brow, like she knew more but couldn't remember it.

"Thank you, that was very helpful," Brielle said with a small smile, and Gemma turned her confused gaze to the first year.

"Why the sudden interest?"

"If I told you, you'd think I'm mad," she responded honestly, and Gemma smiled sweetly.

"I already _know _you're mad," she joked, and then Madame Greene told her visiting hours were over.

She was just happy to get information on the Hat of Hohwald, despite her inability to move anywhere for the next day and a half.

When she finally got out of bed and returned to the common room, TJ helped her finish up the homework assignments she'd missed. Being a righty, she was happy that it was her left arm that was injured. At least she could still write, though every ten minutes she had to take a break because of her head. While they were working on naming constellations for Astronomy, Marcos sat down at their table.

"I'm so sorry, Brielle," he apologized, and sounded completely genuine, "I heard you won't be able to make tryouts." Brielle nodded bitterly because Marcos was friends with Jesse, and she knew she shouldn't say anything about how Jesse'd pushed her and she wanted to _so_ badly, but she decided against it.

It was hard to believe Mickey and Marcos were brothers. Much like Cameron and Jesse, they looked nothing alike. While Marcos was short with burning red hair and freckles, Mickey was kind of tall with blonde hair and faded blue eyes.

Marcos continued to speak, which surprised Brielle. She thought this was just a pity conversation. "I have an idea, though. What would you say if it just so happened to rain in the pitch on the day of tryouts, and I postponed them?" Brielle's eyes lit up as she smiled wide.

"You can do that?" she excitedly asked, and Marcos shook his head.

"I _technically _can't," his voice went to a whisper, "which is why you can't tell anyone, alright?" Brielle nodded with a huge smile on her face. She was so happy that she could almost hug him - key word: almost.

Marcos winked and strolled away, and she looked at TJ in disbelief.

"That's perfect!" TJ shared her happiness, which Brielle was relieved about. She was happy that he wasn't bitter about it because she knew he loved Quidditch and wanted to be on the team as badly as she did. That's how she knew TJ was a real friend, because real friends are genuinely happy for each other no matter what.

They got back to Astronomy quickly, but something was still plaguing Brielle's mind. "Teej," she asked, and he looked up, his eyes going from brown to blue. She'd ask about that later, but for now -

"I need your help with some research." TJ's brow furrowed as he asked what class it was for. She shook her head. "Not a class. Individual research."

"Well, sure," he said with a smile, "What on?"

"I want to look into Lorenzo Hohwald."

"Hohwald?" he asked, "Why?"

"Because of something I heard about him," she lied. If she told him it was a research project from the Invisible Man, he'd probably lose it. But she was a bad liar, so he saw right through her. "Alright," she moaned, "it's something the Invisible Man told me." He looked at her with defeat, but reluctantly agreed.

"Fine, but I still don't understand this Invisible Man business."

"_You_ don't need to understand it," she countered as she wrapped up her schoolwork, "You just have to help _me _understand it."


	7. 6 : An Essay and a Really Bad Joke

**Chapter 6: An Essay and a Really Bad Joke**

**Hey guys :)**

**So I have two followers at the present time and two reviews, and I was wondering what I should do to make my story more appealing. Going down the list of chapters, I realized that I have about fifty-some reads on the preface, and then the numbers go down drastically the more into the story you go. If you have any suggestions of what you want to read, leave them in the comments/reviews below :) Thank y'all and happy reading :)**

**~J**

"Well, well, well," Professor Howe purred as Brielle sat down at her Transfiguration table between Cameron and TJ. They sat closer to her, as they didn't trust the professor any more than Brielle did, "Look who's back."

"Hello, Professor," Brielle said bitterly.

"While you were gone," he said and leaned on the table, making Brielle scootch back and turn her head. Cameron's arm instinctively tighten around Brielle's shoulder, "I handed out an assignment to write a two thousand word essay on the Bird-Conjuring Charm."

"No you didn't," TJ growled, "You told us to read over page fifty-five, which _contained _the Bird-Conjuring Charm, but not write an essay on it."

"If you were listening yesterday, Barry," the Professor responded without taking his beady eyes off the girl in the middle, "You would've heard me say that the assignment was only for bespectacled girls who like to stutter."

Brielle's jaw locked as she gritted her teeth. Cameron chimed in now, "That's not fair! She's been out with a concussion and an injured arm, and she's finished all of your assignments. She isn't going to be able to write - "

"Casey, I've told you not to call out," he said quietly with a small, sickening smile. He stood upright as all three students glared at him.

"Right, then," he said as he walked away. "By tomorrow, Miss Hawkins."

As she pushed another piece of hair behind her ear, Brielle pulled a piece of parchment from her satchel. Her hair was being very stubborn tonight and wasn't cooperating when she tried to put it up, so she'd just left it down. Now, she really wished she'd forced it into that braid. It was so annoying and always in her face.

She pulled a quill and some ink from her bag, as well, then placed them on the table by the fire. She began writing to Joseph, as she'd decided to procrastinate with the essay until later tonight, when TJ would be able to help her. In the letter she'd leave out the part about Jesse pushing her off the broom. Knowing Joe, he'd storm to Aboriginal and give Jesse a beating.

She also decided that she'd leave out Quidditch; she knew that Evan probably already told their parents about her plans to tryout since he seemed to be good friends with Professor Dekél, though in case he hadn't, she certainly wasn't going to bring it up. She also was going to leave out the part about the Invisible Man and such…

Basically, this was going to be a letter about her classes, minus Transfiguration.

_Dearest Joseph,_

_I'm sorry that I haven't written recently. It's because of all my schoolwork and such. This is tougher than any Muggle schools I've been in, but it's much more fun. I guess I'll start with where I was sorted. I'm in Drakonas, like Evan was, and I'm extremely happy with that. I'm actually in a house with people who understand me, people who don't think I'm a freak because I'm different, you know?_

That part stung a bit; she'd been called a freak a few times since she was here, directly _and _indirectly (mostly by Jesse but a few times by Voras during Flying). She didn't like to lie to Joseph, but she also didn't want him to worry.

_I've made a few friends here. There's a Drakonas first year named TJ, whose eyes change color all the time from blue to brown to blue. It's curious to me because I don't know what makes them change like that. I haven't gotten around to asking him yet… Another one is a girl named Cameron Ramos, who's a first year in Voras but should really be in Drakonas or Raposo. She's really very sweet and a good friend. We're not sure what made her Voras, but Jesse, her brother, and I have a theory that…_

She wrote about Gemma and how she was a sixth year, but she was one of her closest friends. Brielle also talked about her classes and such, as that was the most important thing to him. As she heard another student enter the common room, she stayed in her spot because she didn't really care who it was and finished the letter:

_Though it's stressful, the teachers have mostly been a big help getting me settled in and used to everything. Being a witch is what it's cracked up to be, all right. Thank you for sending me here, Joe. I really appreciate it. I'll see you in a few weeks for Christmas._

_~Brielle_

As she pushed the parchment up on the table to dry, Brielle felt a leg brush her own as a body plopped down right beside her. She rolled her eyes, as the only people to sit this close to her were Jesse or TJ. She knew it wasn't TJ; he'd gone to Professor Howe's room for a detention because TJ had "talked back and was a disruption during class", so he probably wouldn't be back until later. She didn't look at Jesse, even when he cleared his throat, but she _did _respond.

"What do you want?"

She could almost feel the eyebrow raise he gave her. Brielle's eyes lingered up to his with annoyance, and she had been right; his eyebrows were in place high above his eyes.

"Come on, Brielle," Jesse said as she stood, picking the parchment up from the table to move to the desk above her bed in the dormitory, "Brielle," he repeated after she ignored him. He grabbed her arm before she could walk away, and she glared down at him. Jesse let out a deep breath through his nose. "Can we just talk?" She swallowed and placed the parchment back on the table, sitting back down further away from him. Her lips scrunched to the side as she crossed her good arm over the casted one, not meeting his eyes.

"What is it you want?" she asked roughly, and when he didn't respond right away, she considered getting up and leaving again. This wasn't a conversation she was looking forward to having, just because it was with _him._

"I want to start over," he said, and for once he actually sounded genuine. Brielle's eyes lifted and locked with his, which appeared a dull green in the light of the fireplace rather than the shocking green she was used to. Brielle softened a bit, but then put her guard back up and gave him a disgusted look. She wasn't falling into this just for him to turn around and make her feel useless tomorrow.

"Doubtful," she grumbled and moved to stand, but he grabbed her hand before she could even straighten her legs. Brielle's face and neck turned a bright shade of pink and she looked at his hand over hers on the plush purple couch. He began to trace small circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, and she yanked it away quickly, appalled.

"I'm serious," he said, "the thing is, I don't know how to treat girls as _friends _because I'm in Drakonas. We're _guys_, not communication experts. I'm sorry if you don't want me to mess with you and beat you up about things, but it's how I make friends. I'm just treating you as one of the guys."

"_One of the guys_?" She considered that for a moment, trying to word her thoughts carefully, "So, if Marcos or Mickey had a nightmare that Professor Howe was screaming at him and slamming his hands on the desk, you'd treat them the way you did me? You'd be sarcastic and mock his yelling out, something he couldn't control?" Brielle just kept talking and talking because all of her emotions came pouring out after being bottled up for so long. Despite their dispute on the brooms, she never had a chance to let someone really have it, so she took this one. She kept her voice even but strong as she spoke, "Would you? Because it's certainly not what I would've done, to a guy or a girl. Making fun of someone you're not originally friends with isn't _making _friends, if anything it makes them want to punch you in the throat."

"See, that right there. _That_ is why you're in Drakonas," he told her with a small smile, "You don't take crap from anybody...and you know what you want." She couldn't help but hear a hint of lewdness in his voice, but then shook it off. It couldn't be so.

"What I want is for you to leave me alone unless you're going to be nice, and not just when your friends aren't around," she responded.

Brielle paused to allow Jesse to soak that in. He nodded and said simply, "Noted." There was another pause, but Jesse continued before Brielle could, "Look, you're smart. You should be able to understand this. In Drakonas, all we ever do is mock each other, so I figured you'd be the same way, you know? I see you and TJ are always messing with each other, so I just kind of assumed. D' you know how Mickey and I became friends?" Brielle shook her head. "He tripped and fell, and I laughed, helped him up, and when he called me a _pinhead first year_, I pushed him over again. The point is, he's now my best friend."

"You sure do like to push people over, don't you?" she asked sarcastically with a small smirk, and he pointed to her. She wiped the smile off her face right away.

"I knew it! You're sarcastic, too," he exclaimed with a triumphant smile. She rolled her eyes and gave up, "It's a Drakonas thing."

"Fine, then. So how do you suppose we _start over_?" she questioned, and he gave a large smile. By his response, he looked like he'd put a lot of thought into this.

"Let's just be ourselves," he said, "You be the cute, anxious, shy first year student, and I'll be the the suave, charming, sophisticated second year Keeper." Brielle rolled her eyes as he stood up and jogged to the other side of the common room. He swayed back over smoothly and plopped down on the polar opposite side of the couch, picking up a magazine and flipping through it. She let out a little laugh, but went along with it.

"Hi," she said as if they hadn't had a bunch of conversations already. He looked up from the Quadpot magazine and smiled.

"Hey, what's up Mamacita?" he asked and winked, and she worked to contain herself. He relaxed his shoulders and frowned.

"I can't help it!" she told him and gave another laugh.

"What if you just...cleared your mind?" he suggested, "Don't think of me as _Jesse the Jerk_. Think of me as a stranger who you're eager to meet. Close your eyes."

She looked at him warily, but then nodded. "Fine," she mumbled and readied herself. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this.

Brielle cleared her mind of everything bad as she closed her eyes, and Brielle heard Jesse whisper something. When she opened her eyes to ask what he'd said, his wand was glowing bright. She squinted at the light, and when she knew it was gone, she opened her eyes completely. On the other side of the couch, a boy sat reading his magazine. She swallowed hard, as she couldn't remember seeing him sit down. He looked kind of familiar, with green eyes that should've made a lasting impression but didn't seem to.

He looked up to her staring at him and put his magazine on his lap. He was still slouched over a bit.

"Oh, hello," he said, "What's up Mamacita?" the boy asked, and her face reddened as she gave a small smile. She pushed a long piece of hair from her face and looked at the ground. The boy looked to the letter on the table. "Writing a letter to your_ boyfriend_?"

Her smile wavered and her brow dropped low over her solid gray eyes. "No," she spit rather harshly. It's not like Brielle meant to be rude, but she certainly didn't want _him _thinking she has a boyfriend, though she didn't know what made her feel that way. "No," she repeated more calmly and with another little smile. She found the boy's dark hair, green eyes, and tan skin rather cute all put together, and the fact that he'd called her _Mamacita _made her laugh inside.

Was this normal, the nickname _Mamacita_? Probably, and she just didn't realize it.

"He's my...um...father, actually. He's been worried about me, not making friends and all. I haven't spoken to him in ages, what with all my schoolwork and everything." She pushed her glasses further up her nose as he nodded,

"Father, huh?" he asked with a little bit of skepticism to his voice.

"Well," she said quickly, contemplating telling him about her foster background. This boy didn't seem like anything of a jerk, so she might as well. "He's my _foster _father actually…"

The boy didn't respond, but his small smile didn't falter, either. She frowned, but he looked at her with intent. "Alright then. As long as he's not your boyfriend." The boy gave a quick wink, and she felt her cheeks heat up again.

"So," she changed the subject, her anxiety just flying away for some reason, like he was the easiest person in the world to talk to. Brielle raised an eyebrow, "you seem like a nice kid, I'm sure you've got tons of friends. What are you doing down here, wasting time with me?"

"What, I can't make _new _friends?" he asked with his own raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I suppose you could make _new _friends," Brielle mocked with a small smirk, "but why with a lowly first year?"

"Well, first years are people too, regardless of what the seventh years may think. Besides, I'm not one of those second year boys who can walk by a pretty girl without _at least_ saying hi."

Her eyebrows rose sky high as she asked, "Pretty girl?" Brielle's voice cracked a tiny bit and she bit back a giant smile. _Pretty_. The only person who had called Brielle pretty before was… Well, no one. "I don't know about that, but thank you, anyways."

"I do know, though," he said with a wink.

Shoving aside the idea that he'd _honestly _think she was pretty - he was probably just some second year tease - she remembered that she didn't know his name, and that was something she absolutely wanted to know. She met her set of gray eyes to his pair of green ones, admiring the color. They were striking; she'd always found eyes particularly stunning on others, especially boys.

She was staring into those eyes as he said smoothly, "I feel like you're one of those girls who's beautiful, but she's just too modest to know it." He sat up and slid a little closer to Brielle, who concaved herself and self-consciously tried to hide her injured arm, which she didn't remember ever hurting. The anxiety was coming back to her now. "I'm Jesse," he said softly, putting his arm on the back of the couch. His fingers, which were right by her ear, rubbed the fabric slowly.

"Brielle," she said in a daze, his eyes capturing her. When she finally blinked because the sting in her eyes was too great, she felt all of her nerves sink back into her. Her stomach began to ache and she looked down at the ground immediately. She frowned and cursed herself as he moved a little further away.

"What a pretty name to fit such a charming girl."

Brielle's eyes lingered back up as she seemed to work some more confidence back. She blushed and released her casted arm, putting the free hand on the couch between them. He slid back coolly, as if she wouldn't notice, and smirked almost cockily. He seemed to be a big player - he knew all the right things to say and do - and she hoped he didn't do this with all girls, because she seemed to be falling for him. He certainly _was _a sweet boy. She wasn't sure of what to say, so instead she slid a little closer to him, closing the remaining space between them.

That stupid piece of hair fell into her face once more, and suddenly she wished she'd put it into a bun before she came into the common room. She decided to just leave it be since it wasn't really obstructing her vision, but Jesse had a different idea. He leaned in slowly, his arm bending and his tan hand moving over her cheek slowly to guide the piece of hair back in place. Her eyes flickered to his fingers, which lingered behind her ear.

"Never hide your face," he said quietly, his breath tickling her cheek, and she shivered. Brielle looked back at his eyes, which were only a few inches away from hers now, "It's much too pretty." She smiled wide and didn't even try to hide it anymore; it wasn't worth it. She was about to thank him for the kind words when something completely unexpected happened. He leaned in the rest of the way and put his hand below her chin. He turned her head to the side slowly and pressed his lips to her cheek, which he could probably feel burning up. When he pulled back, Brielle had to tell herself to keep her hand at her side and not bring it to her cheek.

"Um..." she stammered and looked back up at the boy sitting across from her. Brielle's once calm demeanor switched over immediately, going back to nervous and shy, "I, um..." Before she could say anything, he chuckled.

"You're quite cute, you know that?" he smiled, placing his one hand on the back of the couch and playing with the hair behind her ear, and the other over hers. He began to make small circles on the posterior of it.

"Brielle," another voice snapped her out of her trance. TJ approached the couch with a confused look on his face. Brielle smiled at him.

"TJ, this is Jesse," she introduced the cute boy to her friend, but Jesse looked nervous and TJ looked hurt.

"Yeah, I know, I'm the one who introduced you two in the first place, remember?" he pointed out a little bitterly, then his eyes widened in what looked like realization. Jesse looked really guilty now.

"What d' you mean?" she asked and looked back and forth between the two, "I just met Jesse five minutes ago."

"And what were you doing right before that?" TJ glowered at Jesse.

"I was…" she couldn't remember, but from the looks of things, she had written to Joseph. But that had to've been more than five minutes ago because the ink on the parchment already looked drier than it should've been after just five minutes. "I'm not sure…"

"Exactly," he said and snatched Brielle's hand from Jesse's, pulling her off the couch, but she refused.

"No, I want to stay with Jesse," she complained, but he dragged her along anyways. Brielle looked back and smiled at Jesse, but he didn't return it; instead, he looked at her apologetically, then covered his face with his hands and ran them through his hair.

His perfectly dark, silky hair.

"We need to get you to Dekél," he mumbled as he pulled her out of the common room roughly by her good arm. "Brielle, you _hate _Jesse. He's the one who hurt your wrist, remember?"

She shook her head; all she could remember about Jesse was how sweet he was and how he kissed her, even if it was only on the cheek. She really liked him and didn't understand why TJ was being so skittish about them meeting. Besides, how could Jesse have been the one to break her arm if she'd never even met him?

They finally got to the professor's office, the entire time Brielle talking about Jesse and what a gentleman he was. TJ looked like he was going to be sick. He knocked on the door, and after a moment, the professor called for them to come in. TJ pushed through the door with frustration; Brielle couldn't remember him ever being like this, so angry.

"Professor Dekél," he said, and she looked up with a smile. She frowned when she got a better look at the pair, "I think we have a problem with Brielle." Marcos was sitting on the countertop in the corner; they must've been having a conversation before she and TJ had come in. He also frowned at the pair.

"Well, what is it?" the blonde professor asked. Her hair was still pulled into the same tight ponytail as before.

"Jesse used the _Obliviate Dilectio _spell on her," he said distastefully and led Brielle to the chair by the professor's desk. He plopped her down, and she smiled dreamily and giggled. The first year wasn't really paying attention to what was happening; all she could think about was those green eyes. "She's gone mad for him."

"I've not gone _mad _for anyone," she said in the same haze as before.

"Really?" he asked and crossed his arms. He looked at Marcos, then back at the girl, "I've heard that Marcos over there is the cutest boy in school."

Brielle smirked up at him, "Oh, _please_. He's beaten out easily by a second year."

"And who's the second year?"

She giggled again, "Why, Jesse, of course." Marcos looked like he was trying to contain laughter as Brielle spoke, "He's got those beautiful green eyes and silky brown hair and - "

"I see, I've got what you need," Professor Dekél said with a little laugh of her own. She pulled her wand and pointed it at Brielle. "_Memento._" A little red wisp of smoke drifted from Brielle's temple into the light of the wand. The first year sat still and watched it, all of her memories flooding back to her of when Jesse pushed her off the broom, how he'd called her a freak; everything - and, now, how he'd charmed her to fall for him.

"So?" Professor Dekél asked, "How do you feel?"

She gritted her teeth and looked at the two other students. She glared at the professor and growled, "Like I'm going to kill Jesse Ramos."

"_Jesse!_" Brielle erupted through the doors once she reached the common room. She looked around, and the second year seemed to be missing. She spotted Mickey in the corner with a girl, leaning against the wall and talking to her, but Brielle didn't care; she stormed up to them and yanked him by the shoulder, pressing him against the wall.

"What's your - "

"_Where's Jesse_?" she hissed, and he yanked his arm away, but she was as strong as him from the adrenaline rushing through her veins, so she was able to keep him pinned against the wall. The threat of being clubbed in the head by her cast probably helped, too. "Mickey_, where is he?_" Suddenly, she felt someone pick her up by the arms and remove her from in front of Jesse's friend. She thrashed in the air and kicked and yelled, but whoever it was remained much too strong for the first year.

"Let me _go_," she commanded as the person spun and put her down, facing away from Mickey. The entire common room was turned and watching now, but she didn't care. She yanked out of the person's grip and turned around to see Shaun. She gritted her teeth as he spoke calmly.

"Whoa, kid, what's wrong?" he seemed calmer than usual, though she had a feeling he'd get rambunctious after she told him. She moved quickly again to go back after Mickey, but Shaun caught her by the waist first. "Brielle!"

"His jerk of a friend used me!" she screamed and fought against Shaun's grip, "he put me under some love spell and took advantage of me! I'm gonna kill him!"

"Brielle calm down," Shaun gritted his teeth and pulled her back. He grabbed her shoulders and faced her towards him. She kept looking over his shoulder to Mickey and the other Drakonas girl, but Shaun grabbed her cheeks - which she had to scrub intensely tonight - and made her look at him, "Listen to me. Who was it?"

"Jesse," she said angrily, short of breath from all her yelling.

"What'd he do?"

"He tricked me into trusting him and casted a spell and for some reason I couldn't remember him and he, he, he...he _kissed _me, Shaun - "

"Hey," he whispered and looked from eye to eye, "Hey. You're alright now, right?"

"Yes but he took something from me that I'll never get back, and he used me. I told him something I _swore _I'd never tell anyone while I was here, and…and..." Brielle just lost it. She couldn't handle it anymore, and she squatted to the ground, her head in her hands, and turned all of her anger into sadness. She tilted her head back as the first tear in a very long time rolled down her cheek. "I trusted him."

Suddenly footsteps came from behind her, and Shaun's jaw locked. She didn't want to see who it was, but Shaun kind of gave it away when he stood upright and clenched his fists. Brielle stood up as she turned around to see Jesse looking at her, jaw down like he was going to say something. And he did.

"Brielle, I never meant for you to - " he started, but she turned her sadness back into anger and stormed up to him, pulling her wand from her boot smoothly as she did. He backed away quickly with his hands up and tripped, falling on his bum. Before she could cast anything at him, Shaun grabbed her arms and picked her up, pulling her away. She dropped her wand as he carried her backwards.

"_Liar!_" she yelled as Shaun dragged her back, reprimanding her arms as she thrashed against his grip, "You took advantage of me, Jesse, you manipulated me when I wasn't even _aware _of it!" She just kept yelling as Shaun, who was now joined by TJ, held her back. She shrugged out of their grips, but didn't go at Jesse again. She couldn't even explain how angry she was; _angry _wasn't even the right word for it.

"I told you about Joseph, you took my gullibility, and you tricked me into almost kissing you - "

"That's not what I wanted to happen, Brielle, I wanted to start over," he said as he stood up.

"Then why did you kiss my cheek?" she went to walk towards him, but Shaun grabbed her arm, so she continued in place, "Why did you sit so close to me and - "

"Hey, kid," Gemma, who Brielle hadn't even realized was there, stepped between her and Jesse. She rubbed her hands on Brielle's arms, and they locked eyes. Gemma gave a sweet smile. "It's okay, he's not worth it. Save your breath."

"But - "

She shushed the first year and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, "He isn't worth it."

"Brielle," Jesse said as he took a few steps forward, but Shaun brushed past the girls and told him that was enough, but he continued, "What I did was because I didn't want to make an enemy."

"Well you did," she didn't even have a word to call him as she backed away with Gemma. She leaned on the wall, emotionally tired. Brielle began to feel the pain from her concussion erupt in her head again as she slid down the wall, putting her arms around her knees and dropping her head to her lap. She let out a few sobs; she hated crying because she believed it made one look weak, but she couldn't help it. It took everything she had to only sob and not to full on bawl.

She felt a body slide down next to her, and she looked up to Shaun. Marcos and TJ were getting everyone to stop staring, but it wasn't helping much that Gemma was laying into Jesse in the corner. Jesse kept looking over at Brielle, but Gemma continuously moved so he wouldn't be able to see her.

"What the _hell _were you thinking?" she was yelling, and Jesse wasn't responding, "You're _twelve, _she's _eleven_! You're such a little - "

"I didn't mean - "

"So your lips accidentally touched her face, is that it?" Gemma was going really hard on him, which he completely deserved.

Brielle looked back a Shaun when he gave her a nudge. "What are you thinking?" he asked. She didn't answer because if she told him what she was thinking, she'd probably be expelled. He restated the question, "Let's try this...how are you feeling?"

She shrugged and wriggled uncomfortably. "Violated…"

He gave a small laugh, but his face still looked concerned. "It's not like you full on snogged, though, right?"

Brielle leaned her head against the wall, avoiding his attempt to make it better, and looked straight ahead to the pennant flags hanging from the ceiling across the common room. "I don't think I've ever been this mad before," she continued, "I've never yelled at anyone like that." There was a small silence, and Shaun took a breath.

"I understand why you did," he told her, and she looked at the sixteen year old with question. He continued, "You said he kissed you, yes?" She nodded slowly.

"On the cheek, but still," she corrected.

"My guess is, that was your first...kiss," he looked uncomfortable, but kept talking, "Heck, if someone I hated that much kissed me while I was delusional, I'd be pissed too." She swallowed and looked forward again.

"Thanks," she mumbled, "but now not only am I the ditz first year who fell off her broom, but I'm the freak who lashed out in front of everyone over nothing, too."

"It wasn't over _nothing_," he told her, and she shrugged again. The pause after that seemed like an eternity. "You're not a freak," he finally said, "_Jesse _pushed you, he casted _Obliviate Dilectio _on you. Neither of those were your fault, you know that." She rolled her eyes a little.

"_I _know that, but not everyone else does, and they'll take his word over mine because they've known him longer and has plenty of friends who'll spread the word," she continued through a yawn, "I don't want people stopping to stare at me as I walk by now, but they will." Shaun chuckled a little and moved to one knee next to Brielle.

"Come on, let's get you to bed," he said soothingly and held out a hand, but she just looked at him.

"I don't want to go in there," she said scaredly.

"Let's go, come on now," he said and lifted her up, carrying her across his shoulder. She yawned again as he entered the first through fourth year dormitories, and she'd been right. People were staring and whispering as Shaun made his way to her bed. She saw a few boys in the corner stop playing wizard chess and stare at her.

Let the isolation begin.


	8. 7 : Survival and an Oculist

**Chapter 7: Survival of the Fittest and an Oculist**

**Howdy Hody Doober :) I hope you've been enjoying the story so far, I now have 167 reads (again not sure if that's good, but I'll go with it)! Thank you again to R and T for editing and being awesome :D Love you guys**

**And I love whoever is reading this cuz you're just downright amazing(:**

Marcos paced the line of those who were trying out for and those who were already on the Quidditch team. Professor Dekél stood by in the background, arms behind her back, still with the small smile that she constantly wore. There were more students trying out than there were on the team; Brielle counted twelve potential team members in her midst to accompany the six who were already on the team.

"Alright," Marcos said as he paced, "There are two positions left, one Beater to join forces with Shaun Farlowe, and one backup Keeper to substitute for Jesse Ramos if need be." Brielle looked to the players who were members of the team and spotted Jesse, who was already glaring back at her. Ever since the scene in the common room, he'd treated her awfully, usually trying to rough her up with Mickey; it was probably because when she screamed that he tricked her, his ego went down, not to mention the plummet of his social status. Jesse made a face at Brielle, and Mickey - who was right beside him - shook his head and dragged his finger across his neck. She didn't respond; she just turned back to Marcos. Brielle really could've used TJ right about now, but he had decided not to try out as a first year. She really wished we would've come for moral support, though...

"I'll take the potential Keepers with Jesse, Gemma and Shaun will take the potential Beaters. If you're a Chaser or Seeker, which none of you should be since we specifically stated no Seekers or Chasers were needed, you can leave or try out for another position. Coach'll be watching both groups. Each position will run one or two drills, and then we'll reconvene. Gemma and I, and Coach Dekél, of course, will make our decision based on what we see today. The rest of the team members will be circulating, so if there's any questions, let them know." He clapped his hands and smirked. "Alright. Let's, uh, let's boot it up."

Most of the eight Beaters who were trying out were fifth or sixth years; there was one seventh year, but he and Shaun looked like they didn't get along well. Gemma flew next to him the whole time, but as the assistant captain, that was probably her job. Shaun told the eight students to form a line, and they did so, the seventh year first and the rest lining up by decreasing age. Brielle, of course, was last.

"I just want to see how hard, and if you can at all, hit a target. I'll be the target." He flew away in rapid zig-zag motions around the field, and Gemma held a small box in her arms. She clicked it open and the ball inside shook rapidly, as if it was trying to escape.

"Ready Arnie?" she asked as she unbuckled the straps that held it in without waiting for a response. Gemma flew away as the seventh year boy took his bat and swung hard at the bludger. It soared across the field, but missed Shaun by a long shot. Shaun had a bat too, and chased the ball down, hitting it back towards the line, and took off again. The next boy flew up and swung hard, as well, but again, missed Shaun. The drill went on this way for the remaining five kids in front of Brielle, each kid either hitting it hard but missing Shaun, or not hitting it hard enough and the bludger flying towards another team member who was circulating. Either way, none of them accomplished the task at hand.

Brielle was finally up after the fifth year in front of her almost took off Mickey's head, which she had to work not to laugh at. Gemma looked at her as Shaun chased the rogue bludger down.

"Ready kid?" she smiled at Brielle.

For the past few days, Gemma, Shaun, and TJ had been her only friends. Not that this was on the contrary from usual, but one difference was that now, everyone was staring and whispering as she walked down the halls; people from other houses, people she'd never even seen before. Cameron hardly spoke to her in Transfiguration about anything other than their assignments, which stung a little bit.

Brielle nodded in response to Gemma as she snapped back into the present. She watched Shaun across the field and heard a _crack_, and the bludger came flying back. Brielle flew forward without the bludger reaching her yet and met it somewhere in the middle. She saw Shaun flying towards the goals on the opposite side as the Keepers, and she turned her body and swung with all her might. She overexaggerated how far to the right she had to hit it, since that was the way he was flying; that's what she thought the others' problems were. They hit to where Shaun was when they got the bludger, not to where he was going. She watched the ball fly, and it ended up hitting the tail end of his broom, making him spiral a bit out of control, but he managed to stay on board. Even from across the field, she could see the triumphant smile on his face.

Brielle flew back to the group as Gemma clapped once. "Right, then," she said, seemingly trying to bite back a smile, "That was good, nice job, all of you. We should just wait for Marcos and the Keepers, now, and you'll be good to go."

"Wait, that's it?" the seventh year boy, Arnie, asked impatiently, "one hit and we're done?"

Gemma nodded, "Yep, pretty much. That's how it works in a game. And, Arnie, stop complaining. It shows too much of your character." The other seven contenders flew back to the ground slowly, Arnie scowling as he passed Gemma, and Brielle followed far behind with Gemma by her side.

"That was brilliant, Brielle!" she smiled as they hit the ground, "I've got to say, you're going to be a great player."

"Dang, kiddo," Shaun said as he landed a moment later, "Marcos wasn't joking when he said you've got game. I think you bagged it."

"From one hit?" she asked, "Is that really all we're doing?"

Shaun nodded and said, "That's all we need, is one hit. Beaters don't do much, but if they can't hit the target on their first go, they shouldn't be on the team." Brielle took that in as they parted ways and she walked to the broom shed, sticking her borrowed broom back into the pile. It was beat up and bent, but it was all she had.

"Hawkins," a familiar voice from behind her called. She rolled her eyes and turned to see Jesse and Mickey standing in the doorway of the shed.

"What do you want, Jesse?" she growled as she tried to barrel past them, but couldn't; he and Mickey grabbed her arms and pushed her harshly back into the shed. Brielle stumbled to the floor and crawled backwards a little. Mickey closed the door as they walked in, and Brielle instinctively reached down to her boot for her wand when she remembered she'd left it in the locker room.

"Oh, missing something?" Jesse asked with fake-sympathy. She'd had to remove her wand before tryouts so it didn't fall out while she was flying, "Shame."

"Would you just leave me alone?" Brielle mumbled and stood upright, brushing herself off. Jesse fake pondered for a moment.

"You know, we would..._but_ I don't think we will," he said and turned to Mickey, "What do you think, Mick?"

"I think we'll stay a while longer," he said with a sly smile.

"Don't you think it's a little strange," Brielle said, "That a fourteen year old is answering to a twelve year old?" Mickey's smile turned into a grimace as he went to move for her, but Jesse held up a hand, further proving her point.

"We work as a team," Jesse said smoothly, and Mickey seemed to simmer down a bit. "Unlike you, you've got no one."

"I've got TJ."

"But he's not here now," Mickey added.

"Wow, I didn't realize that," she said sarcastically and looked around, "I think I'll go look for him, if you don't mind, so I'm just going to head out now - " Brielle tried to push through them again, but Mickey grabbed her arm roughly and wouldn't let go. It was her bad arm, too, so the more she struggled, the more her wrist and shoulder hurt. He picked her up by the arm and pressed her against the wall, bending it behind her back harshly.

"Gaah!" she sounded as he pressed her harder against the splintery wall of the shed, "Let. Me. _Go!_" Jesse strolled over and leaned on the wall next to her. She growled at him, "Why _me_, Jesse? Of all people, why _me_? What did I ever d to you?"

"Why you?" he retorted, "Because, Brielle, you spit fire, too. I wanted to get closer to you, but you just didn't let me."

"You denied spewing fire, pushed me off my broom, _charmed _me to forget you and then kissed me!" she screamed as Mickey pushed a little harder, making her fuss even more. She could feel some of the splintering wood inserting into her face and abdomen, "Did you expect me to be happy with you?"

Jesse put his hand behind her ear as he had in the common room, and if her arms weren't pinned down she would've swatted it away. He smiled grossly at her, and she wanted to throw up.

"Well, I didn't expect you to make a scene. With a face this cute, it's hard to get angry with me," he replied.

"Trust me," she said as he dropped his hand, "It's not that difficult."

Suddenly, the door flew open and Shaun stood in the entryway. "Brielle, I have some good news - " he paused immediately at the scene as Gemma followed close behind with a smile on her face, which quickly faded. Shaun's eyes glowed bright green, which they only did when he was infuriated.

"What's going on here?" Gemma growled. Mickey backed off of Brielle immediately and she fell to the ground in pain from the splinters all over her. Jesse stayed leaning against the wall. Before he could say anything, Shaun was already on him with his elbow pressing into Jesse's collar bone.

"You good for nothing little scoff. Does it make you feel good to pick on a younger kid, you little punkass - "

"Shaun," Gemma stopped him by pulling him back a bit, then knelt next to Brielle. A furious Shaun looked down at the first year, then back at Jesse. He shoved the second year into the wall and nodded his head towards the door.

"Go, before I change my mind," he growled, and Jesse scampered off cowardly, Mickey close behind. Brielle stood up, a few splinters still in her cheek and midbody.

"Are you alright?" Gemma asked as she sat Brielle back down, this time on a stool rather than the floor. She nodded as Gemma began to pull the splinters from her stomach. Shaun was still staring out the door, as if he was guarding the way. "They're cowards, both of them."

Brielle swallowed as she hissed in pain when Gemma pulled a splinter from her cheek. "Sorry," she mumbled as she flicked the piece of wood to the side. She pulled two more, then told Brielle she was good to go.

"What was the news?" Brielle asked as she stood from the stool. Shaun turned around with a small smile, his eyes fading back to black. Gemma put her arm around Brielle as he responded.

"I'm not sure if this is good or bad, based on what just happened," he told her, "but you're on the team."

Her jaw dropped to the floor. "I'm on the team?" Brielle smiled wide and gave Gemma a huge hug. She raced over to Shaun and engulfed him, too, then looked back and forth between the two with bewilderment. "Holy... I can't believe it!"

"The only downside is," Gemma said through laughs, "now you're stuck with those two idiots for a season."

"I don't even _care_," she said honestly, "I just made the Drakonas Quidditch team!"

"You made it?" Evan asked as he let Brielle into his office and gave her a huge hug, "That's fantastic!" He smiled wide as he spun her around. Evan replaced her on the ground and made his way to the table, pouring them both some tea. "I'm so happy for you, Stretch! What position?"

"Beater," she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She made her way to her seat and crossed her legs as she sat down.

He took a sip of tea, then held up a finger as he placed the cup down quickly. He swallowed and said, "In that case, I have a surprise for you." Brielle sat on the edge of her chair and poured some cream into her tea, the spoon moving on its own to stir it up. Evan rummaged through the bottomless trunk in his office and reached down really far, the trunk covering about half his body at times. Finally, he came up with his head and said, "You ready?" She smiled and nodded as he pulled out an old broom with a gray handle that was oh-so familiar.

"You brought the _Glover_?" she exclaimed as he brought over his family broom, "I thought you'd lied about that!" He handed her the black-bristled broom with a smile, and she held it firm in her grasp.

"Didn't you read the note I left with Péleda?" he asked as she ran a hand over the familiar handle, "I put _lied _in quotes for a reason, Slim." She smiled and remembered being too excited about the owl to notice.

"Speaking of Péleda," she said after she placed the broom down next to her chair. She pushed her glasses up the bride of her nose a little farther and asked, "Have you gotten any letters from her? I wrote Joe a while ago but still haven't heard back yet."

"Nope, not me," he said with a small frown, "I'm sure he'll get back to you, though." She nodded sulkenly, but dropped the subject.

"Listen," Evan said and looked seriously across the table, "I've been meaning to talk to you. I overheard TJ the other day talking about the Invisible Man." Brielle swallowed as she stared wide-eyed across the table, "Now, I don't want you poking your nose into these things."

"Why?" she asked defensively, "Evan, I _see _him when no one else can. I _know _he's there and I _know _Jesse sees him, too. Maybe it has something to do with my past - "

"Brielle, he's not..." Evan cut himself off and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"He's not what? _Real_?" Brielle felt hurt that he was doing this again, that he was going against her without even considering she wasn't lying, "Evan - "

"Would you just listen to me, I - "

"No!" she said and stood up, "Evan you're supposed to be here for me and help me, not go against me."

"I'm not going against you, Slim," he said with a know-it-all tone that he got when he thought he was right, "I just don't understand how you and Jesse could be the only two that see him."

"Maybe... Maybe we're _connected,_" she suggested, as sick to her stomach as she might've gotten. She didn't want to believe it anymore, but with some of the things that were happening - like the Invisible Man or the fire - it was hard not to think _something _of it.

Evan took a second to ponder that and put his tongue between his lips. "You may be connected, but you can't go snooping about Hohwald."

"Hohwald?" she asked, "I don't believe I've mentioned him."

"I have a class in ten minutes, Stretch," he changed the subject and herded her out the door, "Come by again soon, please."

He closed the door abruptly behind her and as she began to walk down the hall, broom in hand, she wondered what it was he knew about Lorenzo Hohwald. Considering the fact that classes didn't run on Saturdays - and even if they did, they'd be over for the day - it had to be something big.

She trudged back to the Drakonas common room in mass confusion. "Flapping fireworks," Brielle mumbled to Monstro half-heartedly, who blinked and looked at her with those beady stone eyes.

"Miss Hawkins," he hissed slimily as his head outpressed from the stone wall, "Congratulations on the Quidditch team. You're going to be a real asset."

"Thanks, but I'd really just like to get some sleep," she was too tired to have her guard up too high right now, "Please open."

"Sure, why talk to the stone door when you can go play with your little human friends," he grumbled as his mouth grew wide and showed the oaken door. She stepped through and made her way into the purple-infested common room. She stripped her blazer and carried it with her into the dormitory, throwing it onto her sheets after sticking the _Glover 200 _broom beneath her bed. She decided to go back out into the actual common room for a while. She didn't feel like doing schoolwork right now, and if she stayed in the dormitory, she'd be inclined to do so. Her desk would be just above her, after all.

"Brielle!" TJ shouted and followed her out of the dorms, "Brielle, wait up!" She turned on her heel and lazily looked at him, a little bit of grief in her eyes. "I heard you made Beater! That's brilliant!"

"Thank you, Teej," she said with a small smile and sat on the couch by the second fireplace. She couldn't sit on the other one, the one where Jesse and she had sat a few weeks ago.

"Oi, what happened to your face?" he asked and tilted her head to the side. It was probably all scratched up from Jesse and Mickey's number in the broom shed. TJ frowned and asked her, "Was it Jesse again?" She nodded.

"Partially him, partially Mickey," she finished.

"Did you talk to your foster brother about it? You were supposed to see him today, right?" Brielle hated that Jesse'd told the entire school she was Evan's _foster_ sister. He might as well have pinned up flyers everywhere saying _Brielle Hawkins, orphan, foster sister of Evan Madrack, no friends, no family. _That was what a lot of kids had been whispering in the halls, anyways.

She shook her head, "No, but we talked about the Invisible Man a bit. Evan claimed he didn't believe me in saying that the Man's real, but on my way out he said _you can't go snooping around Hohwald _after I hadn't even mentioned him_. _I think he knows something."

TJ took that in, then appeared to have a moment of realization. His eyes sparked from brown to blue as he spoke, "That reminds me! I learned a little more about the Invisible Man."

"I thought we were looking up _Hohwald_, remember?" she asked with a pang of hurt in her chest. If he looked up the Invisible Man rather than Lorenzo Hohwald, he must not've believed the Man was real, either.

"I was just curious, is all," he told her, but Brielle wasn't convinced, "Anyways, apparently anyone with some sort of link to the Hat of Hohwald can see the Man. If you can see him, then you've got something to do with that Hat."

"Do we know where it is?" she asked, "The Hat I mean, I know it can't be close by, but - "

"I know where it is," a cynical voice sounded from behind their couch. Jesse leaned on the velvet and added, "I suppose you'll want me to tell you."

Brielle rolled her eyes. "We don't need your help, Ramos," she spat, "I'll bet you're bluffing, anyways."

"Well, I don't know _exactly _where it is, per say," he responded with apathy, "but I sure as Merlin know more than you." He stood and walked away, thudding Brielle's glasses off her face as he passed her. He looked over his shoulder, "Whoops." Brielle sighed and blurrily searched for her thick-framed glasses, which TJ found and replaced for her.

"What a jerk," he growled as he scowled towards the direction of the second year, "We don't need his help, you're right." His eyes changed to brown, and Brielle pointed at him.

"Teej, what is it that makes your eyes snap and change colors like that?" It's about time she'd asked him, because she'd seen it in Shaun, too, and didn't understand it. He let out a breath.

"It all has to do with emotion," he said simply, but she didn't buy it.

"When I feel something, my eyes don't change from gray," she pointed out, "What else is it?"

He looked to the ground and shuffled his hair around some more; it was always messy because he always messed with it throughout the day. "I'm an occultist," he said, "there's quite a few at Aboriginal, I've noticed."

"What's an occultist?" Brielle questioned.

"Our appearance changes based on emotions," he clarified, "It's hard to explain, but basically people like Shaun and I are half-wizards and half-lamia. Lamias are like..." he trailed off and pondered for a second, "Well, they work how werewolves do, except werewolves change form during a full moon. Lamias simply change appearance based on what we feel. My great great grandmum was a full lamia, but it's died down genetically over generations so that only my eyes change and not the rest of me. My guess is Shaun has a similar situation."

Brielle nodded and took that all in. That was cool, but what did the colors mean? Before she had a chance to ask, he stood from the couch with a yawn.

"I'm gonna hit the sheets, alright?" he said and knocked her chin a bit. "And hey, you just made the Drakonas Quidditch team as a _first _year. Cheer up, Ells."

He walked towards the dormitory as she called after him with a small smile, "Ells?"

"I told you I'd think of my own nickname," he yelled as he opened the door, "Would you rather me go back to Gray Eyes?" She laughed and shook her head, opening her bag and pulling out a library book on Quidditch Rules. She didn't know any of the actual rules, so she figured she'd need to learn some.

As she opened the book, Brielle felt another person sit on the couch. Knowing it wasn't Jesse from their lack of prodding, Brielle looked up at the familiar face across from her.

"Hey, Gem," she smiled at her sixth year friend and closed the book again.

"Hey, Kiddo," she smiled and nudged Brielle. She stuck the book back in her bag and looked warily at Gemma.

"What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," she had a large, relaxed smile on her face.

"What is it?" Brielle asked suspiciously.

Gemma let out a small breath, "You've got nicknames for each other now, have you?" Brielle rolled her eyes and glared at her.

"So what?" she asked calmly, "That doesn't mean anything. I call you _Gem_."

"Yes, but you don't _fancy_ me," she wriggled her eyebrows, and Brielle shoved her shoulder a little bit. Gemma laughed as Brielle scolded her.

"I don't _fancy_ anybody," she couldn't help but smile because when Gemma was happy, she seemed to be happy, too, without even realizing it. Gemma's laughter was contagious.

"Anybody but _Teej_," she mocked, "It's so sweet, _Ells_. Or is it _Gray_ _Eyes_?"

"Oh, shove it," she mumbled with a smile, but couldn't help but think about what it meant that they had nicknames. Did that, to TJ, mean she liked him? She sure hoped not. "Let's talk about you, though, Gem." Brielle wanted to change the subject quickly, and the best way to do that was to talk about her and Shaun.

"What d' you want to know?" she asked almost cockily, "I'm an open book."

"You know," Brielle pondered for a moment, "you never _directly_ answered my question from our first conversation."

"Which was...?" Gemma looked like she was fearing the question a bit.

"Do you like Shaun?" Her shoulders relaxed and she let out a breath slowly.

"It's...It's complicated, Kiddo."

"You know I'm always up for a talk," she added, "Well, a _listen _on my part."

She let out a little laugh as Gemma continued reluctantly, "Alright... Shaun and I have been best friends since first year. He's got his quirks, like his being angry all the time, and being an occultist...I've got mine, like always being happy and a bit of a know-it-all. We contradict. We're not alike whatsoever other than the fact that we're athletes. But somehow...somehow we get along, better than anyone else."

"The other day I saw him kiss your head," she blurted out, forgetting that she was supposed to be in hiding that night. It'd already escaped her lips, though, so she went with it, "What'd you think of that?"

Gemma scrunched her eyebrows and bit the inside of her cheek. "That's complicated, too. He was comforting me because...of something I'd said," she avoided the topic of what they were talking about with hardly any glitch, "and he'd let me wear his favorite hat that night." She began to get all dreamy-eyed. She caught herself and snapped back to reality. "I don't know, exactly, how I feel about that. He's like a brother to me, you know? We've practically grown up here together."

"Personally," Brielle said, "I think you'd be a good couple. You cancel each other out."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if he's angry, you seem to calm him down right away. If you're upset, he makes you feel better. You two... You _fit _together."

Gemma blushed and smiled at the ground. "Thanks, Brielle, but I don't think it'll happen," she said quietly. She looked back up and asked, "Wait a minute, how'd we get onto this topic, _Mrs. Barry_?" Brielle cursed herself; of _course _Gemma was too smart to stay off topic for long. "Come on, let's get you to sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow, our first practice. Maybe you can hit Jesse or Mick in the head with that bludger or something entertaining." Brielle laughed and gave Gemma a quick hug, then went into the dormitory.

After changing and brushing her teeth, Brielle made her way to her bed. She stopped at the base and turned around, looking at TJ for the second time while he was sleeping. She paused and let out a short breath through her nose. A million thoughts ran through her head as she laid down, but the biggest one was:

_Could Gemma be right about him?_


	9. 8 : A Poor Day Altogether

**Chapter 8: A Poor Day Altogether**

**A/N: Howdy! I hope y'all are enjoying this story so far, I know I've enjoyed reading a bunch of other ones I've found on here. Whelp...I don't really have much else to say other than happy scrolling!**

**~J**

"Brielle!" Shaun yelled as Brielle charged for the bludger. She was too slow, though, and it soared past her head. She readjusted the goggles that she'd recieved from Marcos and flew down after the ball, hitting it back towards one of the practice dummies, as the drill called for.

She missed by a long shot.

"_Garbage_," she murmured and slammed her hand on her broom, "Just _garbage_." She'd missed one of his passes _again_, for the three hundreth time today. Shaun flew over to her, looking angry.

"Oi, Firstie," he said with a bit of an attitude, using the nickname she was rewarded by the team during their first practice, "What's going on with you today?" Yesterday she'd done fine, even her first day went better than this. Three days in and she was already going through a rough patch? And their first match was this Friday against Ara - five days away. Shaun looked around the field, "Where's your head at?" he questioned, and she rubbed the sweat from her forehead. "Is it the passes, are they too far? You haven't missed a target by that much before."

"Your passes are fine," she told him and rubbed her forehead with her hand again, "I don't know what it is, I'm just..._off_."

Shaun let out a breath and asked, "Why don't you take a break, hmm? We can try again in a few minutes. You pass to me this time." She flew down and sat on the bench, grabbing a drink of water. She didn't understand what was wrong, but, as she saw Jesse flying towards the bench, she had a feeling it wasn't going to get better.

He landed swiftly and placed his broom on the ground. He sat down next to her, and she slid down the bench. "What?" he asked, a little short of breath, "You don't want to spend some quality time with your teammate?"

"Leave me alone, Jesse, before I hit you with the bludger."

"If you _can _hit me," he said, earning a scowl. He continued as she stood back up, "What, with the practice _you're_ having, I'd be surprised if it even came close to me."

"Maybe," she said clearly as she mounted her _Glover 200_, "I'll hit you with the bat instead." She took off quickly and rejoined Shaun in the sky.

"What was that about?" he asked defensively, and Brielle shook her head.

"Nothing," she said and flew after the rogue bludger. It was clear on the other side of the field, darting between players and smashing into walls. This one was charmed not to hit anything with a pulse, so the practice dummies and the entire pitch were fair game for the ball, but the players weren't. She followed it quickly, and, as it bounced out of the divot it had created in the ground, she smacked it hard towards Shaun. Finally, she hit him square on, and he smacked it right into one of the practice dummies. Brielle glanced back towards Jesse, who was watching her intently, and gave a triumphant smirk and flew up to meet Shaun. He gave her a fist-bump and smiled.

"There she is," he called as they passed, switching sides of the field. Shaun chased the bludger down and passed it to her, but she missed the target this time, only hitting the broom of the dummy. Still, it was an improvement.

"Alright," Coach Dekél called through her bullhorn from the ground, "Practice is over, let's go."

Brielle, observing the other players that hit the ground, noticed everyone was a little out of shape. They were all sweating profusely, herself included. It probably didn't help that it was a thousand degrees outside. Coach Dekél shook her head as the remainder of the Chasers landed. "You guys need some stamina training. We have a match against Ara on Friday and none of you look ready."

"With all due respect, Coach," Marcos interrupted, sweat rolling down his brow, "It's _Ara. _They'll ease us into the season, don't you think?"

"But what about Raposo?" she countered, "Or Voras? They're more difficult, and if you want to win the Quidditch Cup at the end of the year, it's not going to help if we take it easy until we beat Ara. We need to get in shape, and that shape shouldn't be round." She looked up in the air and took a breath. "I want ten ladder sprints, now."

"Seriously?" Austin Daphnie, a fifth year chaser, was hunched over with Gemma and Mickey, trying to catch his breath, "We just worked our asses off on drills."

"Not all of you are up to par," she glanced at Brielle and Shaun, but didn't linger on them, "When one position is weak, you're all weak. Get to it, then."

Sprints, which were on foot rather than in the air, took about twenty restless minutes. The _ladder _component of the sprint was the worst part; ten lengths of the field counted as one sprint, nine lengths counted as the next, and so on until they hit one length. By the end, Brielle was doubled over, wheezing, and Mickey was in the bushes throwing up, which made her smile despite her lack of air. Everyone was gasping and panting.

"All...right..." Gemma wheezed, "Good work...guys...Let's...hit the...showers."

The team started to walk away as the secondary team hit the field, catching their breaths on the way to the locker chambers. Gemma walked with Marcos today rather than Shaun, which was odd, but maybe the conversation that she'd had with Brielle the other night spooked her; she didn't want to appear too flirty with him, Brielle supposed. Shaun caught up to Brielle and strolled with her, but they didn't talk for a while.

Jesse walked by, clipping Brielle's shoulder as he did so. "Thanks a lot, _Firstie_," he growled and kept going. She ran a hand through her hair - which surely was a darker auburn from sweat - and let out a short breath.

"Jerkoff," she murmured. She was surprised Shaun hadn't said something, but when she looked up at him, she knew why. His eyes were locked on Gemma, who was laughing at something Marcos had said. Shaun ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep breath, clenching his fists.

"Shaun?" she nudged his elbow, then followed his gaze. "Shaun."

"Hmm?" he asked, snapping out of his trance and looking down to the first year, "Did you say something?"

"Nothing important, but why do I feel like you said something?" she narrowed her eyes. He let out a breath and looked up.

"I'm not having this discussion with you, Firstie." She shrugged.

"I'll just ask Gemma, then," she said and departed from his side before he could grab her. She walked a little faster, trying to catch up with Gemma before she disappeared into the shower. "Gem!" she called, and the sweaty sixth year stopped and turned.

"Hey, kid," she smiled at Brielle as they walked into the locker chamber. She opened her locker and started rummaging through it. Gemma pulled a water bottle out of her bag and opened it, "What's up?"

"Did something happen with you and Shaun?" she blurted out, following Gemma's lead and opening her own locker. Gemma almost spit her water across the room and started to cough. She shook her head.

"No, why? Did he say something happened?" she stammered, losing her natural confidence, "Did he? Because nothing happened..." Brielle raised both eyebrows, and Gemma let out a whimper. "Something happened."

"Go figure," Brielle laughed a little, "What is it?" Gemma's eyes looked guilty. "Come on, it can't be _that _bad."

"I...I caught him..._snogging_."

Now it was Brielle's turn to spit her water across the room. "You _what? _With _who?"_

"Corrine McGee," she rolled her eyes and made a grossed out face, "An Ara. I shouldn't be bothered by it because we're not a couple...but the fact that he'd tried to deny it even after I saw it...I can't talk to him about it. I'm not ready to let it go, though."

Brielle stood awkwardly next to her friend, as she was only eleven and wasn't sure what to say. Finally, she spoke a little choppily and decided on, "Sometimes, all you need is distance. If he cares you're gone, he'll do something about it. If not, you know where you stand with him." It was something she'd overheard between to teenagers while she lived at Continental, and figured it'd come in handy some time. Today was that day, she guessed. Gemma looked up with two raised eyebrows.

"You know..." she laughed, "Sometimes I forget you're only a first year."

Brielle shrugged, "I'm an old soul."

"There are two main spells you can use to defend yourself," Professor Yule explained as she paced in front of the class. All of the desks had been pushed to the sides and a large stage, stretching from one end of the room to the other, sat in the middle. "The first is a disarming spell, the second a stunning spell. We'll learn both today. First, I need a volunteer." She looked around the room and spotted a group of Raposo students in the corner, playing with papers and charming them to fold into birds and fly. Then, one of the kids would shoot a spell at it, and the bird would catch fire and shrivel up. of course, Benji Graves was the mastermind behind it all; he sat in the middle and was teaching some of the others how to aim at the birds accurately.

"Mister Graves."

The class prankster looked up to the professor, and she beckoned him to the dueling stage. Benji stood up warily and joined Professor Yule, who made her way to the opposite end as Benji did. He stood nervously at one end, his usual confidence gone.

"_Expelliarmus_ is the first spell we're going to learn," she explained and faced the boy, "Wand at the ready, please, Mr. Graves." He held up his sandy white wand and held it so tight that his knuckles matched the paleness of his wand, loads lighter than his typical dark skin. "_Expelliarmus,_" the professor commanded. A shock of white light escaped the tip of the wand along with a crackling sound that seemed to accompany many spells. At the touch of the light to Benji's hand, the pale wand flew out of his grasp and sailed clear across the room. Professor Yule smiled triumphantly.

"There's the disarming spell," she told the rest of the class. "The second is a stunning spell. Now, since you are first years, your stupefy will not be as powerful as mine, so we will not learn the unstunning spell until later into the year. Ready, my boy?" Benji nodded, but looked a bit nervous as she casted her spell. _"Stupefy." _A thick red light sailed from the professor's wand and hit Benji in the chest, pushing him high and backwards into the air. He landed on his bum and did a backwards roll, landing on his face. He wasn't moving, and whispers started to rumble throughout the classroom.

"_Enervo,_" the professor casted, and Benji stood back up when the spell hit him, as if nothing happened, brushing his trousers off.

"That's all, Mister Graves," Professor Yule said, and he scurried off the stage and went after his wand, followed by a few snickers.

"I suppose that's his 'thank you' for messing around in class," TJ muttered, and Brielle smiled at him with a little laugh. He showed his sideways smirk and returned his attention to the professor, who was glaring at both of them. His smile ceased immediately.

"Would anyone else like to give it a go?" she asked, but was already eyeing TJ. "Mister Barry?"

"And there's _your_ 'thank you' for all the side comments," Brielle said sarcastically.

"Choose your partner, Mr. Barry," Professor Yule said as she hopped off the stage, and Brielle sunk into her chair. TJ smirked down at her and nodded his head towards the dueling platform.

"Let's go," he said and flicked his eyebrows up with a smirk, "_Partner." _She cursed herself for even commenting at all as both made their way to the stage, on opposite ends.

After watching Benji fly, Brielle decided it was a good thing she wore trousers today rather than her skirt.

Professor Yule hopped off the stage. "Ready?" The two first years bowed to each other and stood with their wands at the ready. "Begin."

"_Stup_ - " she began, but TJ was too quick.

"_Stupefy,"_ he casted, and Brielle was smacked with a shock of light, flying backwards. She skidded across the carpeted stage and into a roll, then heard the class go _oooohh._

Brielle returned to her feet quickly and stormed back towards the middle, not in an angry matter but an intense one.

"_Expel - " _TJ began, but didn't finish fast enough.

_"Expelliarmus,"_ Brielle commanded, and a white light sailed towards TJ. He evaded it quickly and casted _Stupefy _in return. She was knocked to the side, but managed to sidestep most of the blow, so it didn't shoot her onto her back this time.

"_Expelliarmus_," TJ just kept going and going, didn't he? The white light and crackling sound came at Brielle's hand this time and, while she expected it, she couldn't move out of the way quick enough. Her wand was thrown away from her and she watched it fly to the back end of the stage behind her, then looked at Professor Yule expectantly. She said nothing, so Brielle glared back at TJ, who was winding up for another spell. "_Stupefy!"_

The red light flew past Brielle's head as she dove to the side. She scrambled to her feet and ran down the stage, making zigzags to avoid TJ's spells.

She sprang at her wand as another bolt of red came her way and soared over her head, and out of nowhere, she turned and shouted, "_Incendio_!" A burst of fire came slowly from Brielle's wand, and she dropped the piece of wood on the stage in terror and shock. It was too late, though. The fire was already going towards TJ, building up speed as it did so.

"_Aguamenti_," Professor Yule shouted, and the ball of fire was met with a large blast of water, putting it out just as it was a foot from TJ. Brielle, like most students in the class, sat open-mouthed. She had never even _heard _of the spell she'd performed, not to mention _casted_ it. After the fire was out, the professor looked back at Brielle, but she didn't know what emotion it was with. It could've been fear, or sadness, or anger, or all three.

Professor Yule strode up to Brielle silently and hopped onto the stage, offering her a hand. Brielle took it and she stood up, looking around the room at her classmates. Just as the whispers had died down about her spat with Jesse, something like this happened and now everyone would have a new reason to stop and stare.

Perfect.

"Miss Hawkins," the professor said quietly as she knelt onto one knee, "Where...where did you learn that spell?"

Brielle's mouth hung wide open, and she stared back at the Professor Yule with fear. She had no words; she didn't even know what _Incendio _was. Her jaw moved and air came from her mouth, but no sounds leaked. The professor nodded and put her arm around Brielle, leading her off of the stage.

"Brielle, I have to ask you to go to Headmistress Lofaro's office now," she said kindly, and Brielle nodded, "Her actual office has been cleared of the pixies, so you won't have to go across campus. It's at the top of the stairs, by the Main Hall." She numbly stepped out of the door, her feet dragging behind her. At least she knew where the Main Hall was, that would make this easier on her.

Then again, she'd first need to _get _to the Main Hall, which may be problematic.

Somehow, she reached the corridor with all of the paintings, the one where she'd met the Invisible Man. She kind of wished he'd come crashing through the armour again, but he wasn't anywhere to be found. Instead, at the other end, she saw two familiar blondes.

"Come on," the boy said, "It'll be fun."

"I don't know," the other one, the girl, responded, crossing her arms, "I don't think Jesse would like it."

"Who _cares_?" Connor asked her, "Do something for _you _for a change, Cam."

Brielle quickly hid behind the armour and peeked out to see them. "Well," Cameron responded after Connor put his hands on her arms, "I suppose it'd be alright..."

"It'll be..." he took a short breath as he pondered how to word it, "It'll be lively, unlike most of the things you usually do. Have you ever done it before?" Brielle wanted to throw up. If they were talking about what she thought they were talking about - which was _snogging_, to clear everything up - then Cam was right. Jesse would _not_ be happy. It was almost worth it to stick around and wait to see what they were actually talking about, but Brielle decided against it and went to walk away. Just then, though, they entered a side room. Brielle heard the door click behind them, and her eyes widened.

She walked down the hall quickly and hoped the portraits and such wouldn't talk to her, but they didn't even sneeze at her passing by. She smiled with relief and finally got to the door, leaning her ear against it carefully.

"What are we doing in here?" Cameron's voice asked, "It's a supply closet, Connor."

"I know," he said slyly, and Brielle tried the door handle. It was most definitely locked. She was about to bang on the door, but decided against it. Cameron was already angry enough with her for going against Jesse, not to mention how mad she'd be if Brielle interrupted...whatever that was.

Suddenly, Brielle felt something pulling at her blazer. She looked down to see the tiny house elf, Vergas.

"What is Miss Haw - "

"Shh!" she slammed a hand over the obnoxiously loud house elf's mouth and tried to keep him quiet, but he thrashed and kicked the door a bit, so she let him go.

"You have to be _quiet,_" Brielle demanded with angry eyes, and the elf rubbed his hands together.

"Vergas thinks Miss Hawkins should stop spying," the elf shouted, and Brielle glared at him with now pleading eyes.

"Did you hear that?" Connor hissed, and Brielle covered her mouth. She scooped the elf up and darted down the hall, keeping him in her grasp. She heard the door open as she rounded the corner, but slid out of the way before he caught sight of her. Thank goodness, too, because she knew he was looking around for the source of the noise. She covered Vergas' mouth with her hand again and peeked around the corner as the door was closing. She let out a deep breath, but suddenly felt a warm, wet patch slide across the palm of her hand.

"Gah!" she whisper-yelled, then shoved Vergas away roughly. She stared at her hand, then wiped it on her pants. Glaring at the elf with wide eyes, she growled, "Did you just _lick _me? How old _are _you?"

"One hundred and thirty two, Vergas is, in January thirty three," he smiled with his hands on his hips triumphantly, and Brielle looked at him like he was crazy. She stood up quickly and stormed past the elf, but he followed close behind.

"Where's Miss Hawkins going during class hours?" he asked as he padded along behind her. She didn't stop walking to discuss things with him.

"I have to see the Headmistress," she grumbled and kept storming through the halls. She didn't really know where any of the halls lead to, but she'd figure it out quickly, she presumed.

"But why?"

"Stop asking me things," she demanded, but he shook his head. It seemed like this elf just didn't get it. Maybe a hundred and thirty-some years old was the equivalent to a child, in house elf standards.

"Vergas is only curious," he said, "Vergas just wants to know the truth with all the rumors flying around about Miss Hawkins." She stopped in her tracks and spun on her heel. She was going to say something to the little elf, but decided against it.

Brielle would overreact, and she really didn't need people knowing she defenestrated a house elf from a three story window on top of everything else.

_"So, what'd the Headmistress have to say?" TJ picked at his bowl of candy in the common room, trying to figure out which card to ask for during Wizard Go-Fish. The cards all kept yelling at him to finish their set of four that they needed to be a family, and finally, TJ decided on twos._

_"Go fish," Brielle responded, and she was rather surprised a tiny hand didn't come up and smack him in the face for "being so foolish." Brielle shoved a chip in her mouth and shrugged. "She just went on about how she thinks this fire thing isn't important. Personally, I think it has something to do with Hohwald."_

_TJ nodded, but looked a little...different. Like he wasn't the same as before she sent a flaming ball towards him. He looked straight into her eyes and dropped his cards. "Teej?" Brielle asked, but he just gave a small frown, as he had been for the past few mintes._

_"Ells, listen," he said and put a hand on her leg. Brielle smiled because she thought it was nothing, but she uncrossed her legs anyways. TJ's hand came off immediately. He moved it to her arm as he slid closer. "I have a problem."_

_She swallowed, but kept the smile on her face. "You do, I'm _sort of _killing you at Go-Fish."_

_"Brielle, I'm serious," he said and frowned. She mimicked his expression and stuck her cards on the side table. "I...I think I'm in - "_

_"In serious trouble?" the disgusting voice of Jesse Ramos came from behind Brielle, and she turned around to see he and Mickey approaching. They swept by her quickly and each grabbed one of TJ's arms, pulling him over the side of the sofa in the common room. "Because you'd be right."_

_"Jesse!" Brielle yelled and stood to follow them, but Mickey turned around and pointed his wand at her._

"Locomotor Mortis,_" he commanded, and suddenly Brielle fell flat on her face. She couldn't separate her legs; they were glued together. Mickey smirked, and Brielle tried to stand up but couldn't. Jesse walked over as Mickey pinned TJ against the wall roughly, and Jesse took Brielle's wand, which she wasn't able to reach because it was in her boot._

_"Thank you," he purred as he plucked it from her shoe and set it on a high shelf so she couldn't reach it. Mickey held TJ's arms behind his back so he couldn't move at all other than his feet, which Jesse also performed the leg-locking curse on._

_"Jesse don't you _dare_!" Brielle screamed, trying to stand up. She just couldn't with her legs stuck straight like they were. He smirked down at her. "Leave him alone!"_

_"Don't want your _boyfriend_ to get hurt?" he asked and lined up his fist with TJ's jaw. He brought it back and swung hard, hitting TJ with a _crack_. Brielle gasped and struggled harder to get to her feet. It shouldn't have been this difficult, but for some reason, it was. Jesse shook out his hand, "Then make better passes during practice." He took his knee and drove it into TJ's stomach, making him heave over. Mickey caught him, though Brielle would've appreciated it more if he'd fallen to his knees like he was going to. That'd make it less painful to watch._

_Mickey held up TJ, whose jaw already had a large welt on it. Jesse got close to his face and said, "You know, TJ, I never liked you hanging around with my sister when we were little, and I sure as anything don't like you hanging out with Brielle now."_

_TJ glared at him, then spit in his face. Brielle could laugh, if only they weren't in the situation that they were. Jesse took his hand and wiped the spit away, then smirked at TJ. "That wasn't a smart move, idiot." He wound up for the next punch, and Brielle's eyes squeezed shut. She couldn't bear to watch._

_"Jesse stop!" Brielle shouted right before Jesse's fist sounded on some part of TJ_.

Again, her eyes shot open to darkness, but this time, Gemma wasn't next to her bed. Someone else was, and he was saying her name. Brielle grabbed her glasses from the nightstand to see the face of the familiar person shaking her shoulder. She threw them on quickly and turned on her lamp.

"Brielle, are you alright?"

It was TJ.

"Teej," she said and got to her knees, tackling him in a hug and taking him by surprise. She didn't even care about the fact that the dream wasn't real, or the fact that TJ wasn't wearing anything but underwear at the moment. _Or_ the face that his skin was kind of damp. All she cared about was -

"You're alright," she whispered and squeezed him tighter.

"Yes, but you're not," he said and pulled away with a frown, "What was it? Was it Howe again?" She shook her head, but she knew she couldn't bring herself to tell him without getting re-freaked out about it. She took the chance anyways after he asked, "Then what?"

"You," she said slowly, moving over. TJ was holding a gray t-shirt and threw it on, then sat down on her bed as she spoke, "You and I were playing Wizard Go-Fish on the couch, and you were going to tell me something important...then Jesse came in with Mickey, and..." His eyes turned a little angry as they snapped to brown. She stopped talking and just looked at him, watching the way his eyes moved between her own. His lips were slightly parted, and his light brownish-red hair was damp and stuck over his face; he must've caught her on his way to bed after a shower.

"And they gave us a hard time or something?" he asked quietly, his brow furrowed.

"Mickey held you back while Jesse hit you. A lot, Teej, and I couldn't do anything about it," she looked down sadly, running a hand through her long auburn hair. She took a deep, shaky breath, "I couldn't do _anything_, not even stand due to that blasted leg-locker curse - " her voice got shaky as she began to ramble, but TJ didn't let her finish.

"Shh," he said and put an arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head on his bicep and he rubbed his hand on her arm comfortingly, "Hey, it's alright. I'm fine, see?" He smiled and looked down at himself, then back up to Brielle.

"But you _weren't_ fine," she argued.

"Stop," he said gently and smiled, "look at me. Do I _look _hurt?" he asked, and Brielle shook her head. "Right. Don't worry about _me_, really. It was just a dream anyways, Gray Eyes, he's not going to hurt me because you missed a few passes at _one_ practice." He paused for a second and said, "Of course, if it were _more _than one practice, he might come after me with a golf club, so you'd better pick it up..."

She shoved him with a laugh and Brielle said, "I hate you."

"Really?" TJ raised his eyebrows, "Because a little birdy told me differently," he said confidently with a wink. Her eyes widened and face reddened as he smirked at her, "I'm just messing with you. But if you hated me, you wouldn't be having _horror_ dreams about Jesse hurting me - they wouldn't make you angry, they'd make you happy."

He went to stand up, but Brielle grabbed his arm first. He looked down expectantly at her. "Would you mind, um..." She picked her head up, her eyes pleading a bit. He smiled sweetly and nodded.

"Of course." Brielle stuck her glasses back on the nightstand and TJ turned off the lamp. He kicked his feet onto the bed and put his arm around her shoulder. "I'll make sure there's no trouble out here," he added toughly with a sniff, "I'm bigger than Jesse, anyways. I could take him." Brielle couldn't help but laugh at his demeanor as she laid down. He smiled, too, and she felt better knowing that he'd stayed. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to get back to sleep without him.

"Thank you, TJ," she said and looked back up at him, "I really do appreciate it."

"It's no problem, Partner," he said with a smirk, "Oh, by the way, what'd Lofaro have to say about the _Incendio_ spell?" Brielle shrugged.

"Not much," she said, thinking back to her dream, "She asked where I learned it. I told her I haven't a clue... Then I asked if this had anything to do with my fire at housing, and she tried to change the subject by saying it was nothing." TJ remained silent as he looked forward. Brielle stared at the ceiling, "I personally think it all ties back to that Hat of Hohwald in some way." TJ nodded.

"I agree," he said, which surprised Brielle.

"You do?"

"Well, sure," he honestly said and looked down at her, "I mean, at first I thought all this Invisible Man stuff was a bit of poppycock. After I looked into it, though...that Hat contains the ability to control fire. Those who are connected to it can see the Invisible Man. Considering your fire at housing, then the thing in the Portrait Hall with the Man, and now the _Incendio_ spell..." Brielle smiled up at him, and he returned it. "It all fits together."

"Thank you for saying that," she told him, "I didn't think anyone was on my side about it." She reached across TJ and grabbed her glasses from the nightstand, then continued, "You know, as long as we're talking," Brielle sat up, "I saw Connor and Cameron in the hallway today on my way to the Headmistress."

"Oh, yeah?" he said with curiosity, "What were they up to?"

"I don't know, they went into a room alone and Connor asked if she'd 'ever done it' before," Brielle explained, "Do you think you can check it out for me? Cameron's still mad at me about blowing up at Jesse. She won't admit it but she isn't talking to me about anything other than Transfiguration assignments."

"Sure, I'll see what I can get out of her," he said with a distressed smile. TJ told her to go to sleep, and Brielle nodded. "You'll need it if you're going to keep having nightmares like that. I'll be right here, okay? I promise." She nestled back into bed, forgetting about her glasses. TJ chuckled and removed them for her, putting them on the nightstand.

"Thank you," she mumbled, and he just squeezed her shoulder in response. Finally, she got a good night's sleep. Well, as good as a few hours could be, anyways.


	10. 9 : Quidditch and Resolved Arguments

**Chapter 9**

**A/N: Howdy Dooberinos :) Do you wanna read a book not as long as this one? How about not as BAD as this one? Because there's this really good fanfic called _The Untold Story of Harry Potter: Marauders Era_ that is amazing, you should go check it out. As in now. Yes, now. Or after you review this book, either or will suffice :)**

**~J**

Brielle hadn't slept for more than three hours a night for the past three days. Each time she went to sleep, she'd have a new nightmare. After Monday's terror with Jesse and TJ, she'd had one every night, all about different things. Tuesday held a nightmare about the school going down in flames because of her _Incendio _spell, and Wednesday was another appearance by Jesse, though this time he was going at Brielle rather than TJ. Last night, she dreamt that TJ, Evan, and Cameron had joined Professor Howe and Jesse and Mickey, all of them going against Brielle. She couldn't do anything about it again because they'd casted a spell that made her hang upside down by her feet, and she couldn't get down. Needless to say, she hadn't gotten much sleep last night.

And today, of all days, Drakonas was playing Ara in the first match of the year. How perfect.

At least they weren't playing Voras.

In warm ups, Brielle hadn't been able to focus. She was doing laps on her broom behind Shaun and almost ran into him twice. She kept fumbling her bat, and her goggles wouldn't stay on quite right. When she tightened them, they made painful marks on her face. If she loosened them, they'd fall off. She just couldn't win while she was this tired. Plus, she'd had a full day of school beforehand, which didn't help; she yawned in Transfiguration, and Professor Howe made her stand up at her desk for the rest of class.

"Yo, Brielle, watch it," Shaun flew next to her after she almost ran into one of the goals and grabbed her broom, pulling her in the right direction, "What's up with you today?"

"I got about three hours of sleep last night," she told him and, as if on queue, she let out a yawn, "And the night before, and the night before."

"Well, you'd better get your head in it," Marcos flew next to them, "Or Coach'll make you do more ladders."

"Isn't there a spell to make me less drowsy?" she questioned.

"There's a potion," Marcos said sadly, "but not with us." She rolled her eyes and mumbled a _thank you anyways_, flying off and almost hitting one of the other players. Shaun chased after her.

"Whoa, kid," he said and grabbed her arm, steadying her, "Maybe you should pass on this game, you know, sit out for the first one to see how we do it."

"I've been practicing with you guys, I know h_ow we do it. I_'m fine," she said and put her hair into a quick ponytail, "Really, I'll be fine."

"Brielle, you're falling off your broom," he argued.

"I won't, I promise," she told him with a wave of the hand, "Let me warm up some more and I'll be good."

Shaun eyed her reluctantly, but let go of her arm. Brielle took one or two laps on her _Glover 200 _and felt a little more awake, but the heat of the sun beating down on her made her want to take a nap. She shook the idea out of her mind and did some stretching of her arms with the bat, readying herself for the match. Coach Dekél watched her warily as Brielle landed on the ground, but didn't say anything.

The coaches of each team sat on their benches - Professor Dekél for Drakonas and Professor Howe for Ara - and watched warm ups conclude. The referee, Professor Padral, strolled onto the field as the remaining players landed. Brielle looked across the field at her opponents, none of which were really..._athletic _looking. She looked up at the stands, which were lined wall-to-wall with students and staff of the school, along with some house elves who were strolling on the edges of the stands. A house elf was jumping up and down on the railing - waving a Drakonas banner in the air - and almost fell off.

Marcos and Gemma called everyone into a huddle, and the captains stood with their brooms to their right. The rest of the Drakonas players followed their lead as they made a ring, so Brielle did the same.

"Now," Marcos started, "I know we all had a rough practice the other day, but since then, we've really picked up the pace. We all know we're going to win, but let's score as many points as possible early. That way, we'll have more leverage for the Quidditch Cup."

"Austin, Mickey," Gemma picked up, "We're going with the two-one-four passing pattern we were trying out yesterday. It's more difficult, which is why I want to take this game as a practice to get used to it. If we can perfect it for later, we'll be golden against Voras and Raposo." The chasers nodded confidently, giving each other a fist bump.

"Alright," Marcos said and looked straight at Brielle. "We need strong Beaters today. I want Shaun keeping an eye on bludgers going for Mickey and Gemma," Gemma looked at him with a little bit of skepticism, but Shaun nodded, "and Brielle, I need you covering me and Austin." Austin's jaw dropped, but Brielle swallowed and nodded. She had to protect the seeker? "You might not see me all the time, so keep an extra eye on Austin. Can you do that?"

Brielle nodded again, "Of course." Austin looked like he was just sentenced to death.

"Let's go, captains," Professor Padral shouted, but Marcos didn't budge.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, I'm ready to go," she assured him, "I swear to it." Austin looked worried and anxious.

"Mister Dayton, Miss Wilkins, let's go, we haven't got all day," Professor Padral told them again, and they nodded and turned, Gemma with a smile and Marcos with a nervous expression.

"Alright, boys and girls, you all know the rules," Padral stated as Marcos and Gemma shook hands with the two captains from Ara, "I want a fair, clean game now." All four captains nodded, and Brielle mounted her broom. The professor was holding the quaffle and released the snitch, then the bludgers.

Shaun looked over at Brielle, who'd finally gotten her goggles to fit right. He gave her a quick nod, and she returned it. As the coach blew the whistle and threw the quaffle up, the players shot into the air and began playing faster than she'd imagined. Luckily, they'd practiced the start a few times at team practice (and Brielle on her own after some practices), and she had the hang of it. She shot across the field, looking for either bludger. She spotted the first one, but Shaun hit it towards one of the Ara and defended Mickey. The Ara player's broom was hit and she vaulted out of control.

Brielle searched for Austin, determined to keep him bludger-free, and spotted him with the quaffle, racing towards the goals. She followed him down the field so she could keep an eye on him, but kept enough distance so she wouldn't be in his way. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, a golden ball zipped by, followed by Marcos, then followed by a bludger. The bludger was moving fast, and Brielle chased after it quickly, but not enough so. She reached it too late; the ball had already hit Marcos' broom and sent him spiralling off the trail of the snitch.

"And Drakonas takes the lead," an announcer, who Brielle recognized the voice of but couldn't put a name to shouted into the microphone. "That's ten points for Drakonas! Nice shot by sixth year Gemma Wilkins!" The purple and green clad fans went crazy, and Brielle got distracted, watching the spectators cheer.

"Brielle!" Shaun shouted from across the field, and she snapped out of her trance and searched for a bludger. She found one quickly and raced after it, rounding it and hitting it hard with the bat. It sailed across the field and hit one of the Ara players. Brielle smiled, and quickly searched for another bludger.

"And firstie Brielle Hawkins knocks Corrine McGee off her broom! Corrine is on the ground, folks!"

Gemma, who was currently holding the quaffle, slowed down and looked at Brielle, and she smiled back at her. _That was for you, Gem,_ she thought as she chased down another bludger. Gemma sailed up to the goal rings of Ara easily and slammed the ball through one.

"And another ten points for Drakonas! The two ladies of the team are on fire!" the announcer, whose voice Brielle finally recognized as Grey's, shouted cheerfully.

Gemma was soaring back across the field cheerfully and gave Brielle a high-five as she passed. "You're killin' it, kid!" she shouted proudly as she flew by. Shaun, who was across the field, sat on his broom with an uncomfortable look and watched for more bludgers as Ara took control of the quaffle. Shaun shot one of the bludgers away from Mickey as he intercepted a pass, and the bludger barely missed the Ara chaser that'd just thrown the quaffle.

Mickey soared down the field and passed to Austin, who passed to Gemma about halfway to the goal. She caught it easily, and Brielle watched a bludger fly towards Austin. She raced over and smacked it away quickly, down towards one of the Ara beaters who wasn't paying attention. She almost flew into Austin, but as long as he wasn't hit, she didn't care.

The bludger she'd just smacked suddenly changed course as two players flew by after the snitch - the seekers. Surprisingly enough, Marcos was in back, almost side by side with the Ara seeker, but not quite. The bludger was going at him fast, so Brielle started to fly down towards him when another bludger flew past Brielle's head. She watched it soar out of the corner of her eye, and saw it was going straight for Gemma. Shaun was clear across the other side of the field.

Brielle had to chase the one going for Marcos; he was her duty to protect, so she went for him. That didn't mean she wouldn't yell for Shaun, though.

"Shaun!" she screamed as she hit the bludger away from Marcos, who'd taken the lead over the Ara seeker. He snapped to attention as Brielle pointed to the other bludger, and Shaun looked like he cursed to himself. He flew faster than she'd ever seen him go, but he was too far away; the bludger was too close to Gemma.

"Gem!" Shaun shouted, but she didn't stop and turn around. Brielle imagined she didn't think anything of it, since fans on the sidelines were yelling her name as she flew by as well.

"Gemmavaille!" he yelled, and, right before she shot for the goal, she turned her head to see who was calling her. Gemma gasped as the bludger approached her, but she couldn't get out of the way fast enough. The heavy ball smacked her in the chest, and she toppled over her broom, falling from the sky. The quaffle flew out of her hands, and Austin swooped down and grabbed it, as she had told them to do at practice if one of them dropped it. He scored easily, but no one was paying attention to that, not even Grey.

"Gemma!" Grey yelled, and the crowd gasped all together.

Gemma hit the ground hard on her back with her leg twisted uncomfortably under her. Brielle couldn't see her well - as her goggles were fogging up - but was able to see that she never stood. Shaun soared by Brielle and shot to the ground, followed by Professor Padral and Madame Greene.

"Gemma," he said and hopped off his broom, sprinting to her side. Brielle followed him down to the ground and landed in the middle of the field, as many of the other players did.

"Please back up, Shaun," Madame Greene asked, and he complied reluctantly, "You too, Scott." The professor/referee did as he was told, as well. Suddenly, Marcos soared back into the ring, holding the snitch high over his head. He was beaming and pumping his fist, but his smile quickly faded when he skidded to a stop next to Brielle.

"And… Um… Well, Drakonas win, if you can call it that," Grey mumbled into the microphone, but no one was paying attention. They were all murmuring and whispering to each other.

"What the hell happened?" Marcos growled, getting off his broom.

"She got hit with a bludger," Austin told him and grabbed his arm to keep him from storming over there, "Madame Greene asked everyone to back up, I wouldn't go over there."

He nodded with a scowl and stayed back. "Why wasn't Shaun covering her?"

No one really answered until someone spoke up behind them. "Way to go, Brielle," Jesse's crude voice sounded. He walked up and shoved her back a bit, "Why didn't you get the bludger? Hmm, _Beater_?"

"You know what, Jesse?" Marcos jumped in before she could say anything, "That's enough. I'm finished watching you pick on her. She's your teammate, and you need to put your freaking second year crap aside and act like it." He was nose to nose with Jesse now, who was the same height as Marcos, but probably half the muscular size, "Do you understand me? Now, either make a conscious effort to change, or you're done." He stormed off the field, going towards Gemma.

Brielle didn't look at Jesse; she just followed Marcos to Gemma's side.

"Mister Farlowe, will you help me, please," Madame Green asked as she propped Gemma up on her knee. Shaun held her head up as Madame Greene coaxed some sort of potion down her throat. Gemma didn't respond at first, but then began to cough.

"The...hell?" Gemma asked between coughs. Brielle let out a laugh and Madame Greene smiled as she helped Gemma to her feet (or...foot). Shaun took one side and Marcos took the other, lifting Gemma off the ground in a two-man bridal style.

"And she's up!" Grey announced, and the Drakonas fans went crazy. Everyone was cheering and hollering, clapping and waving banners in the air. "Ladies and gentlemen, Drakonas has won the game with a score of one hundred and ninety points to zero!" The crowd went nuts again as Gemma was carried off the field by the two guys. She smiled and waved once, but Brielle saw her pointedly asking Shaun questions. She'd thought she read Gemma's lips asking _where were you_, which could've very well been the case, but Shaun just kept shaking his head.

Brielle and the rest of Drakonas waved and cheered as they jogged off the field after Gemma, Shaun, and Marcos. They met in the locker chamber before splitting up and changing. Gemma was being held by Marcos alone, and she was yelling at Shaun. Her ankle and knee were swollen and a bit bruised, and she looked like she was in complete pain.

"What were you _thinking_?" she was yelling, "Why would you yell at me to watch out? Why weren't you covering?"

"I'm sorry," Shaun yelled back, "I didn't think you'd get hit!"

"Those Ara Beaters don't have strategy. They go after the most active player on the field at a given time, Shaun," she said matter-of-factly, "I had the quaffle! Of _course _they were going to aim for me!"

"Well, I didn't know!"

"I'd bet it was that flimsy Corrine McGee, too - "

"Leave Corrine out of this, we'll talk about that later - "

They went back and forth for a while until Coach entered the room. Gemma and Shaun stopped arguing and looked to the angry middle-aged woman.

She looked around the room for a few minutes bitterly with a hand over her tightly tied blonde hair. "Guys," she breathed and looked upset, as she should've been, "What _was _that? Shaun, I've watched you cover Gemma since you were second years. This is the first time you've _ever_ let her get hit." Shaun was stone-faced as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. His jaw locked tight. "We should've won that game by at _least _two hundred points."

"We were only ten off," Jesse chimed in.

"At _least_ two hundred, Jesse." Coach Dekél said pointedly, and he kept his mouth shut. She looked at the team with her hands on her hips. "I don't care that we play each team twice, don't tell me we'll get the points back in the second game. This one was the first of our season and sets our mark for the other two teams. Now, we look weak." She began to talk fast and loudly, almost yelling, "The only people who did their parts in this game were our two captains and surprisingly enough the first year, who you should _all _be able to outdo easily." Brielle didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. "Brielle was the worst in practice all week and you honestly couldn't keep up?"

Alright, insult it is.

"In their defenses, Coach," Gemma spoke up, "the chasers were making their two-one-fours fine." She glared up at Shaun.

"Not fine enough," Coach argued, "Why were we running two-one-fours? This is a freebee game, the one we were supposed to take and use to our advantage for the Cup. Playing Ara is when we take any extra points we can, not to practice difficult plays." She looked at the team and locked eyes with Brielle. "Nice job, firstie. You did good, kid." Coach Dekél glared at the rest of the team, then turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. The team just kind of looked at each other.

"That…" Marcos said, "Well...That…"

"That was awful," Gemma said, "We should've crushed those theater geeks and instead acted like a bunch of - "

"Give it a rest, Gem," Mickey said as Marcos set her on a chair. Everyone looked at the ground, shuffling their feet, or sat down and held their heads in their hands.

"If...I can say something," Brielle spoke up and entered the conversation, "I know I'm new, and a first year. And a bit of a disaster. I absolutely know I didn't have a perfect game, Marcos' broom was hit on my watch. But from the flaws, we can pull _some _good. Sure, Shaun didn't cover Gemma. But she wasn't killed, right?"

"She _could've _been killed," Jesse mumbled, and Brielle sent a glare his way.

"Yeah? And what'd you contribute, Jesse, floating on your broom doing nothing?" Shaun questioned, but Brielle glared at him, too, and both of them stopped talking.

"What I'm _saying_," she continued, "is that we have to pick it up, but don't dwell on what Coach Dekél said. Try and find something good that you did. I kept bludgers away from Austin, something neither of us thought I could do." He let out a short breath and a small smile as she continued, "Marcos caught the snitch. Gemma scored three goals, and Austin scored one. Think of something good you did this game, and take that to the field next time and try to beat it."

Everyone just kind of looked at her, speechless. Austin spoke up first, as no one else was going to. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much, firstie." She shrugged. "Nor have I heard anyone say anything so deep."

She took a breath to respond, but Gemma interrupted first, locking eyes with Brielle. "She's an old soul," Gemma told him and gave Brielle a wink.

Gemma was taken to the infirmary right after the team broke for the showers. Brielle showered quickly, as she wanted to meet Gemma there, and changed immediately. She dried her hair off with a towel until it wasn't dripping anymore and ran out the door, rushing through the locker chamber. Jesse and Mickey were waiting for her, though.

She stopped in her tracks and pulled the wand from her blazer pocket when they stood in front of the door. Both boys put their hands up in surrender.

"I don't have time for whatever crap you're going to pull," she growled, "Now move." Jesse put his hands down and took a step closer to her cautiously.

"We just want to talk this time," he said slowly, "I promise." She lowered her wand, but kept it in her hand just in case.

Mickey stepped forward with a nasty look on his face, but his words were sweeter than Brielle expected, "We wanted to apologize. For everything." Brielle looked at them warily, then shook her head and lifted her wand back up.

"Don't even try - "

"We're serious, Brielle," Jesse added, "We really did want to apologize. What we did in the broom shed was wrong. The names and rumors...those are all us, too, and I'm sorry. _We're _sorry."

"It's no big deal," she lied. All she wanted to do was get out of there and see Gemma, "Really."

"Yes it is," they said in unison as she tried to push through them. This time, they let her, but followed her out of the locker chamber.

"We gave you _nightmares _for crying out loud," Jesse argued as they walked, "Are you seriously trying to get us to believe that we had no effect on you? That you don't care?" Brielle stopped and turned on her heel.

"Jesse, you - single handedly - are the reason I had that fit in the common room," she said calmly, "You're the reason I was injured because you pushed me off my broom, you're the person who's spread all of the rumors through school of how I'm a freak, and you're the one who always tries to beat me up when I didn't even do anything to you in the first place." She paused and looked angrily at him, but kept her tone even and carefree. "Of _course _you had an effect on me. And of _course _I care. But I don't need to be friends with you," she shrugged, "Quite frankly, I don't _want _to be friends with you. Either of you."

She turned again and strode off down the hall, headed towards the infirmary. She heard the pitter-patter of jogging feet, and she rolled her eyes. It'd better not be -

"I'm trying to prove to you that we _can _be friends," Jesse said as he followed her around the corner, "Ask me anything and I'll answer honestly, I swear."

"I'm not closing my eyes," Brielle growled.

"No more closing your eyes, and no more beating on you. Or flirting."

She paused. "Or tricking. Swear it."

"I swear it," he agreed, "What do you want to know?"

She pondered for a second. "Tell me about your first year. What happened with the Invisible Man? I know you see him, too."

He let out a breath and they began pacing, "Fine. About a week after I spit the fire at housing, I went down the hallway by Potions, you know, the one with all the paintings." Brielle nodded; she walked through the same hallway. "Well, the Man was chatting with one of the people in the portrait of the family all dressed identically, in those old-timey castle clothes. I talked to him for a bit, the Man, and he told me to research the Hat of Hohwald. I asked Lofaro what she thought, but she said it was nothing. I was still curious.

"I figured out everything about the Hat with a quick library search, but wanted to know more about it all, so I looked up Lorenzo Hohwald and the Invisible Man. I figured they had some sort of… _connection_. Turns out, I was right. The Invisible Man _is _the ghost of Lorenzo Hohwald." If he'd given Brielle a thousand guesses, she wouldn't have figured that one out.

"So, what else is there about the Hat and Hohwald?" Brielle questioned as she continued to walk, Jesse strolling next to her. "I know the story and I know about the power to control fire. But what about the Hat now? Where is it?"

"Hohwald told me he'd originally thought it was destroyed in the fire that killed him," Jesse explained, "For the longest time, he'd thought it was an accident, but now, he's not so sure. He thinks that Oralie stole the Hat and murdered him in his sleep. So, he came here, as he couldn't haunt the people who lived in his house because, well, the house was gone."

"Who's Oralie?" Jesse swallowed, but didn't directly answer the question.

"Is there anything else you want to know?"

They finally reached the doors to the hospital wing, and Brielle asked one final question, "If you know all this about the Hat...Have you any idea what our connections to it are?" He shook his head sadly and she nodded, "I figured as much."

"I'm not sure since Lofaro wouldn't tell me anything." He tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and shrugged, "She has a way with getting off topic, you know? All she told me was that eventually, there'd be a reason for me and another - . And then she switched topics." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'll see you later, tell Gem I said hi." He turned on his heel and strode away coolly as Brielle pushed through the doors of the hospital wing. She spotted Gemma, who was in one of the far beds. Shaun was there, too, but they seemed like they were having a quiet yet intense conversation.

As Brielle approached, the words became clearer. Gemma fumed, "You did that on purpose, I know it."

"Why would I let you get injured on _purpose_?" he questioned with honest astonishment, "That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard."

"Because I caught you snogging your girlfriend and I didn't react well to it," she said simply, and he ringed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"She's not my girlfriend," he responded, "It's difficult to explain, Gem, but you have to believe that it didn't mean _anything_." Brielle stood at the end of the bed, but wasn't noticed.

"Why are you talking to me like _I'm _your girlfriend?" she asked, and his face got red, "Because I'm not. I would've been happy for you if you told me."

"We both know that's a lie," he huffed.

"Excuse me?" she tried to shoot up but looked like her back was in too much pain to do so. Brielle figured this was a good time to interrupt. She cleared her throat. "H...hey, guys."

Shaun and Gemma looked up at her angrily, but then Gemma's eyes softened. Shaun looked at the ground. "Am I...interrupting something?" Brielle asked, though she knew the answer. Gemma shook her head.

"You're good, kid." She smiled and sat across from Shaun, on the other side of the bed. they remained silent, and Shaun avoided eye contact.

"What'd Madame Greene say?" Brielle awkwardly asked, and Gemma shrugged.

"She's preparing the potion for my ankle now and I should be fine by dinner." There was another uncomfortable silence, and Brielle again wanted to fill it before Shaun's hand on the back of his neck left a rash.

"You were wicked out there, Gem," Brielle tried, breaking the silence. Gemma smiled triumphantly at that.

"Thanks," she responded, "You had some great hits, too. Like that one on Corrine McGee." She glanced at Shaun, who rolled his eyes. "Nailed his girlfriend right in the gut."

"She's not my girlfriend!" he exploded, "Why do you keep saying she is?"

"_Enough!_" Brielle yelled, and they stopped arguing and looked at her in surprise. Brielle talked quickly, not stopping to breathe, "Now, I've had it up to here," she raised her hand high above her head, "with you two arguing. On my first day here, I questioned whether you two were dating or not, and now I'm questioning who's going to kill who first."

They kind of looked at each other, Gemma with sadness and Shaun apologetically. "I'm sick of it, I know the _team _is sick of it, and if you keep arguing, you're going to drive the entire _school _mad. Shaun," he looked up at her like a child to an adult after he got in trouble, "You don't snog someone for no reason, you only kiss a girl when you want her to be your girlfriend." He looked back at the ground awkwardly.

"Gemma," Brielle continued, "he didn't let it hit you on purpose, you know that. If you'd hit him in the head with the quaffle, I'd say _you _did it on purpose because you have a reason to be angry, but he didn't get there fast enough and couldn't stop it." Gemma stared sadly at Brielle. Brielle knew she agreed and just didn't want to admit it.

"So," Shaun interrupted, "I should only kiss the girl who I want to be my girlfriend?"

"You're smart, Shaun," Gemma stated obviously, "Surely you can figure that out."

He nodded and looked at Brielle. "Turn around, kid."

"What? No, I'm not turning around, you might kill each other and - "

"Oh, screw it," he said as he leaned over Gemma quickly and they locked lips. Brielle threw her hands up and rolled her eyes.

"That's it! I'm done with this school, there's too much snogging!" she announced, and Shaun backed off and let out a small laugh. He rubbed his lip with his thumb and wringed his neck again uncomfortably. That seemed to be his trademarked _uncomfortable _look. Gemma's face would've been priceless if they hadn't just kissed. Gemma's jaw dropped and her eyes were wide as she looked straight forward.

"Um…" she said, and Shaun looked down nervously at her.

"Are you quite finished?" Brielle questioned, "Because snogging makes me uncomfortable."

They paused for a moment as Gemma and Shaun stared at each other. Gemma turned back to face the first year. "Then, kid," Gemma finally said as she hoisted herself up. Her face turned red as she grabbed Shaun's hand, "You might want to get out of here."


	11. 10 : Petrification Does NOT Rock

**Chapter 10: Petrification Does **_**NOT **_**Rock**

**Welcome one and all to chapter 10 :) Hopefully you like this chapter, although it is pretty sad. I'm sure it's still up to par, though, so enjoy and please be sure to comment, favorite, and follow and things of the like! My dream is to become published, as is a lot of authors on here, and I'm using this as a beta test to see if I can actually make it as an author. Please, any feedback at all would go a very long way.**

**Thank you and enjoy :)**

**~J**

As happy as Brielle was for Shaun and Gemma, she was even happier that Jesse wasn't mean to her anymore. Mickey took a little bit of warming up to; Brielle imagined that he was still bitter she'd interrupted whatever he and that girl were doing the night Jesse "hypnotized" her. But everything was good and well now. She was credited in the halls as _Firstie Hawkins_ since she'd managed to knock Corrine McGee off her broom, and to be honest, Brielle didn't mind it. Everyone knew her name for a _good_ reason now.

"Oi, Firstie Hawkins!" An upperclassman who Brielle had never seen before greeted her with a high-five as she walked down the hall, and TJ nudged her shoulder.

"Lookit you, Little Miss Popular," he beamed.

It was even better because that boy Zach Cooper _Hated_ it. With a capital H.

"Yeah, until you screw up again," Zach Cooper growled as he passed by with a few of his friends. If she could call them that; they were more like his _followers_, "It's only a matter of time. Just wait until you shoot another fireball at someone. Then we'll see who's popular."

"Stuff your piehole, Cooper," TJ told him nonchalantly, "Actually, don't. You could afford to lose a few pounds." Brielle smiled wide as Zach Cooper - who she refused to refer to in any way besides by his full first and last name - grimaced. His face became bright red - redder than usual, anyways - and he gritted his teeth.

"Watch it, Barry," he spat as he scurried away. TJ waved his hands in the hair by his head in mock-terror.

"Ooh, you're _so scary_," he mocked as they walked towards the common grounds of the Aboriginal Castle. Brielle loved how TJ didn't even care - he just said whatever he felt like. Brielle could do it if she was angry enough, but not as spontaneous as her best friend. TJ just had comeback after comeback in his arsenal.

On Sundays, TJ and Brielle had a certain schedule they followed. Brielle woke up earlier than TJ, but once they were both up, they'd make their way to the common grounds - or just "the commons" - and eat lunch, go to the Voras common room entrance and pick up Cameron - who'd apologized for her behaviour towards Brielle about a week ago - and then would goof around the castle for a bit, trying not to get into too much trouble. They'd always end by heading back to the library and sitting by the west facing window, seeing what kind of homework they could get done (since they procrastinated until the very last minute every weekend) while watching the sunset.

"You know what I just realized?" TJ asked as Brielle ate part of her turkey and cheese sandwich, "We don't have any extra work tonight."

Brielle swallowed and thought about it. They'd finished their Transfiguration homework for Professor Howe in class, they'd had a Potions exam on Friday, so there were no new lessons that Evan could assign homework for yet. There was never any Defense Against the Dark Arts or Herbology homework, and they'd already finished their Spellwork (or Charms or whatever one wanted to call it) essays on Summoning Charms.

"You're right," Brielle beamed in response, "What are we going to do all night?" TJ pondered for a moment.

"We could play Hide-and-Seek," he suggested, "I mean, in this castle? It would be epic, and, Brielle, you could use the _Ostendio _spell we learned in Charms."

"Which one's that?"

"The one that finds whatever you ask it to, remember?"

Brielle nodded. She remembered they had performed the spell in search of a bunch of books scattered around the classroom. Then her eyes widened. "Wait, why would _I _have to use it?" she questioned as she ate some more food.

"You're it."

"Why am _I _it?"

"Because," he countered, "_I_ came up with the idea." She shrugged. Brielle figured she'd get over a round of Hide and Seek quickly if she was using _Ostendio_. "Let's get Cam, too," he suggested, "That'd be more fun."

"Let's go then," Brielle stood, but TJ wasn't ready. He shoved his hoagie in his mouth and gave a thumbs up.

"Lzz Grre," he mumbled into the sandwich, and Brielle laughed as they left the commons.

"Wizard Hide-and-Seek?" Cameron asked with a large smile on her face, "Count me in! I'm not _it_, though."

"Brielle's it," TJ said, "Count to fifty and we'll hide."

"Limits?" Cam asked.

"All of the first and second floors," TJ explained, and Brielle's jaw dropped.

"No no no, that's _way _too big," she tried, but they were already running in separate directions and got lost in the crowd of students who were making their ways to and from lunch. "Alright guys, I see how it is..." She rolled her eyes and began counting.

"One... Two... Three..."

When she finally got to fifty, Brielle decided to go right to the spell for help. The first floor alone was the largest floor of the school, not to mention the second floor along with it.

She casted, "_Ostendio Cameron_," and a small light shot from the tip of her wand like a flashlight, bending to the left. She followed the light as it led her through twists and turns, up and down staircases she didn't even know existed. The wand actually looked confused at some points; it would flash straight down as if it was thinking, then would resume leading her.

Finally, she was outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts room when the light hit a chest by one of the windows. It faded out as she neared, and Brielle lifted the lid. Cameron was laying inside, facing Brielle. She smacked the side of the trunk with a bit of frustration.

"How'd you find me?" she asked as she sat up, and Brielle held up her wand. Cameron hopped out of the chest and said, "I forgot all spells are allowed. If I'd remembered, I would've hidden somewhere more difficult for the wand to find." Brielle wasn't sure what she meant by it'd be more difficult for the _wand _to find, but she also didn't ask. Cameron knew all sorts of secrets about spells, and Brielle wouldn't be surprised if she could outsmart the wand.

"_Ostendio TJ,_" Brielle casted, but the light flickered a few times and went out. She tried again, but nothing happened. She sighed with annoyance.

"Let me try," Cameron offered, "_Ostendio Tyler Jaspar Barry._" The light on her wand did the same thing, and she shrugged. "He did what I should've done. I guess we're on our own here."

As they walked, they decided to remain silent so they wouldn't warn TJ they were approaching. This was easy for Brielle, but not so much for Cameron. "Hey," she said, "I just wanted to apologize again for my brother." She'd apologized for herself already, but not for Jesse. She probably felt very bad about it, "He really is a jerk sometimes."

Brielle almost snarked something in return, but thought better of it and simply responded, "It's not a problem, I'm used to it." Cameron looked worried as they passed through one of the first floor corridors.

"If there's anything I can do to make it up to you," she said eagerly, "Let me know." Brielle thought about it for a moment. She didn't need Cameron to make anything up to her, but since she offered...

"I need you to tell me something." Cameron nodded. "The other day... Well, I saw you and Connor go into that room off the second floor corridor by Potions, with all the paintings," Brielle said cautiously, "I overheard you guys saying things like _it'll be fun_ and _have you ever done it before_ and I - "

"What?" Cameron almost started laughing, "Brielle, don't tell me - you, you honestly think we were - No!" This time, she _did_ begin laughing, "No, Brielle! You _do _realize we're first years, you and I? Honestly, you spend too much time with those seventh year quidditch players..."

Brielle had to admit, when she said it out loud, it _did_ sound ridiculous. They were too young to agree to something like that. _Though maybe_ _under a spell_, she thought bitterly as Cameron continued, "No, we cut class. I've never cut before, but he wanted to go to the Main Strip, and there's a portkey in that closet to go to Moody and Craftston's. I'll show you," she beamed and grabbed Brielle's hand, leading her anxiously to the room.

They scampered up the stairs when Brielle skidded to a halt. "Wait," she said, "What about TJ?"

"_Ostendio TJ,_" Cameron responded, but to no effect; the light still went out. She shrugged and led Brielle to the room. She opened the door wide, and suddenly Cameron's wand shone bright and directly at an object lying on the floor, so brightly that they couldn't make out what the object was. When the light died down, the room was pitch black.

"_Lumos_."

Cameron and Brielle lit their wands and looked around for a lightswitch or torches. Once she saw them, Brielle casted, "_Lumen Parietes_," which was the spell Gemma performed in the Drakonas corridor the first day of school. The torches on the walls were immediately lit, and the girls were finally able to see the entirety of the room. A shattered mirror was scattered across the floor.

"That mirror was the portkey..." Cameron said, drawing out each word as if she was flabbergasted. Brielle's eyes traced the trail of glass to an object crumpled on the floor, the one the light had hit when they'd first opened the door. But, it wasn't an object, it was a person, and it sure looked a lot like -

"TJ!" Cameron screamed and ran to his side. She pressed on his shoulder so he was lying on his back, his face contorted into a scene of fear. She pushed a piece of golden hair behind her ear as she shook him back and forth. "He's cold. TJ, come on Teej, wake up." Brielle didn't know what to do; she stood there, almost as stunned as TJ seemed to be. How could he have been petrified? They were playing Hide and Seek! Who would petrify him and not get caught?

It couldn't have been someone in the castle, as hardly any students who knew TJ disliked him and would do something like this; he was just a natural people-person. The only first year out to get him would be Zach Cooper and maybe his gang, but, given Zach's unfit physique and his stunning spell weakness, it couldn't have been him. TJ would've bested him easily, what with his love for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

When she thought about it, it _would _make sense for someone to teleport into the castle with the portkey, but with all the charms and protective spells around it, she knew it was hardly plausible. The portkey was only supposed to work one way, anyways. Though if Cam and Connor had been able to get in and out with the key, which was now shattered...

Cameron turned around angrily, "Come help me!" Brielle blinked back into reality and ran to Cameron's side, kneeling by TJ. He was cold and solid, like stone, but seemed to still be alive.

Brielle looked him up and down, and her eyes locked on his upper leg, right below his hip. She smacked Cameron on the arm and pointed to it, and Cameron gasped. Sticking out of TJ's leg was a shiny, silver knife.

"Cameron, that's...that's..."

"A dagger," she finished shakily, "That's _Oralie's_ dagger." Brielle slid over - unsure of who Oralie was - and put a hand on the knife. She didn't try to pull it out because she was sure that would just make it worse. As Brielle observed the wound, she noticed that there wasn't any blood spilled. She didn't know why, as the dagger seemed pretty deeply lodged in his leg. But as long as he didn't bleed out, it was okay.

Brielle heard a quiet, happy laugh - not an evil one - echoing from the hallway and thought that maybe she'd be able to get some help from whoever it was. Even the Voras students would help, she was sure. Brielle ran into the hall, the door closing behind her, and saw two familiar faces on the other end.

"Brielle," Gemma beamed as she and Marcos strolled over. She wondered where Shaun was, but that didn't matter right now. Gemma frowned as they came closer. "What's wrong? You look like you've just seen...a..." her voice trailed off as she peered over Brielle's shoulder and towards the closet. Cameron must've opened the door, because Gemma's eyes widened, she dropped her book, and rushed into the room. Marcos was close behind, followed by Brielle.

"What happened?" Marcos questioned angrily as he looked at the knife.

"We don't know," Cam answered in hysterics, "We were playing Hide and Seek, and we looked for him in here and he was on the ground with the portkey shattered around him and curled up in a little ball and the dagger in his leg and - " She rambled on quickly and not really stopping for a breath as she went, and Gemma looked with fear up at Marcos, like they knew something the other girls didn't.

Brielle sat next to TJ as Gemma tried to comfort Cameron, telling her it would be okay and they'd just take him down to Madame Greene and he'd be fine. Brielle examined TJ's face closely. It was distorted into a mix between utter terror and a call for help. His disheveled hair was scattered across his forehead, and Brielle pushed it to the side a bit; enough so she could at least see the freckles that laid low over his brow line. She looked at his eyes, which were a dark brown, and could feel the pain that they were showing. She'd almost mastered what the colors of his eyes meant; brown was the sadder emotions, like fear, exhaustion, and anger, while blue was the happier emotions, like love, relief, and bliss. The darker the brown or lighter the blue, the more of the emotion he felt.

"Let's get him down to Madame Greene," Marcos said quickly and scooped TJ up. His body stayed in a concave ball, like he was hunched over in pain, and Marcos carried him out the door.

"I'll get Headmistress Lofaro," Gemma said anxiously, and Briele chimed in.

"I'll go with you - "

"No," she shot back rather quickly, "No, Brielle, you _need _to stay with Marcos and Cameron, alright?" Brielle looked at her pleadingly, but Gemma remained strict, "You can't come with me."

"It wasn't us who did it, if that's what you think," Brielle was hurt that she couldn't go. TJ was _her _friend, _she _was a witness, and quite frankly, she didn't know if she could stand watching TJ lay in a hospital bed while being frozen like that.

"I know," Gemma responded more gently, "I know it wasn't you. But you _have _to trust me on this, alright?" Brielle stood, pleadingly looking up at her for a minute, but then Marcos interrupted their staring contest.

"Let's go, Firstie," he called as they started to make their way down the hall towards the infirmary. Brielle looked back at Gemma, who gave a nod towards the others, and she reluctantly followed orders.

"You're back?" Madame Greene asked with a smile as she watched Brielle enter the infirmary first, but her face turned confused when she saw Marcos follow with TJ in his arms. She got up frantically and ran over to a bed, patting it. "Over here, Mister Dayton." Marcos placed TJ on the bed softly.

"What happ..." she started, but trailed off when she saw the dagger. "Oh... Oh my..." Madame Greene's face paled as her jaw dropped. "That's..."

Marcos sent a warning look towards the nurse, who seemed to get the hint. "Gemma is getting Lofaro now," he told her, and she nodded.

"Let me see what I can do for the petrification, then..." She walked away and rummaged through a closet or two until she came back with about six or seven jars of medicine. One of them was labeled _Mandrake Root_, and another was labeled _Bloodworm Liver_. She sure hoped Madame was going to use the former and not the latter.

Madame Greene asked everyone to be patient, especially Cameron, as she prepared the drought. Cam was freaking out the most, sitting next to TJ and never leaving his side. Not that _he _was going anywhere, but if Madame Greene tried to touch him or move him, Cameron would be all over it, and TJ would end up saying put.

"Wait," Brielle said confusedly. She wasn't sure how much _this _topic was going to help relieve stress, but she didn't really have the filter to stop herself from asking, "Who's Oralie?" Marcos and Cameron looked at each other and Marcos rubbed the back of his neck as Sean usually did. He was about to say something, but Headmistress Lofaro bursted through the doors, Gemma following close behind.

"Christina," she asked half-angrily and half-sadly. Madame Greene turned from the drought with a paled face. Headmistress Lofaro faltered in her steps for a moment, but then resumed when she saw the dagger. She walked up to TJ slowly and examined his leg. She placed a hand on it. "Can you get it out?"

"I was waiting for your permission," Madame Greene responded, "It's kind of risky business."

"If it stays in, he'll be paralyzed entirely."

"Even if we _do _remove it, he'll still - " the nurse cut herself off at the face of Cameron, and nodded. "I can get it out. The full drought for petrification takes a few days to prepare, so he'll stay here for a while." Cameron still looked anxious, but everyone in the room did now. Gemma made her way over to Marcos, and he put an arm around her as she bit at her fingernails. Cameron put a hand over one of TJ's stiff ones, and Brielle set her own hand on top of Cameron's. She smiled sadly at Brielle.

"He'll be fine," she told her blonde friend, though she was sure Cameron knew something about the dagger that she didn't.

Madame Greene walked to the bed with a small bowl of goop, which Brielle would only assume was the mixture with the Mandrake Root. She moved to where the Headmistress once stood and fearfully placed a hand on the dagger. She wrapped her stubby fingers around the handle and placed the bowl on the bed, sticking her other hand in the goop. Madame Greene took a deep breath and counted to herself, mouthing the numbers _three, two, one..._

With a yank, the silver dagger came out. The sound was like nails on a chalkboard, but it was over in a second. Madame Greene quickly slathered some of the stuff from the bowl on his leg, where the knife once was, and his leg relaxed, seeming to end the petrification. Brielle smiled as Cameron did the same, but the rest of the people in the room didn't seem satisfied yet. Headmistress Lofaro looked at Brielle and Cameron.

"I need you two to come with me," she requested sadly, and Brielle glared at Gemma in an _I trusted you _kind of way. Lofaro didn't say it like the kids were in trouble, but she couldn't help but think that they were going to be.

"I need to stay with TJ," Cameron said, "Please."

"No, come on, you girls are too young to see this, a friend like that, petrified," she argued and herded the girls towards the door. "Gemma, would you please," she asked, and Gemma nodded, taking the Headmistress' place and leading the girls towards the hallway.

So, they weren't in trouble. That was good.

"Why can't I stay? We already saw him," Cameron asked as Gemma pushed the door open, "I need to stay with him. He's my best friend."

"I know," Gemma responded morosely, "But we need to go. Come on, let's go get some food."

"We just ate," Brielle argued, but Gemma didn't listen. They kept walking until they hit the Main Hall, and they sat at a Drakonas table. Cameron got a few stares in her Voras uniform, but no comments were made. Shaun was sitting a few feet over and spotted them, making his way over happily.

"Hey, you," he kissed Gemma on the top of the head and looked around for a minute, "I thought Marcos was coming with you...?" His smile wavered for a moment as he glanced around the table at the morbid faces. "What's going on?" he asked when he locked on the concerned face of Cameron, and she stared blankly at the table. Gemma shook her head.

"Come here, Shaun," she told him and led him to the side by the arm. Brielle watched closely as Gemma talked to Shaun, and his smile quickly turned into anger. His eyes glowed green, and he peered over Gemma's shoulder and towards the door, then looked back at her. She motioned towards her leg - which Brielle assumed meant she was talking about the dagger - and Shaun's eyes glew a color Brielle'd never seen before; it was a bright yellowish-green rather than pure green. Gemma kept talking and motioning some things with her hands, but Shaun just kept telling her that everything would be fine and TJ'd be okay. Or, at least, that's what it looked like.

Shaun peeked back over at Brielle and Cameron, and told Gemma something else. Gemma nodded, and they came back over to the table, sitting across from the first years. Both of them looked at Brielle but said nothing.

Brielle raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. "What?"

"Brielle we need to tell you something," Gemma said slowly, "You want to know who Oralie is, right?"

"Right," Brielle said, "She's the one who the dagger belongs to."

"Yes," Shaun told her, but his eyes were still that yellowish color that she soon realized were present in Vergas the house elf's eyes, "But Brielle, you don't understand. She's evil, a sorceress who went around killing people for a good twenty years prior to this point."

"She murdered Lorenzo Hohwald," Brielle connected the dots, "Didn't she?"

"Him and a lot, a _lot, _of others," Gemma picked up.

She and Shaun kept going back and forth, taking turns talking, so he spoke now, "Brielle, you and Oralie... you have a connection. One that I can't tell you much about right now. But Headmistress Lofaro knows all about it."

"I'm connected to Jesse..._and_ to an evil sorceress?" Brielle eyed the two warily and shook her head in denial, "That's ridiculous."

"When she murdered Hohwald," Gemma continued, "The power of the Hat went into her hands, as if she'd created it, you know? Like she was Hohwald, and Hohwald never existed. She held the ultimate power to control fire."

_Fire_.

Everything Brielle had screwed up while she'd been at Aboriginal had somehow contained fire. The housing ceremony fire, the _Incendio _spell... the only thing that didn't contain fire was the discrepancy between she and Jesse when he kissed her cheek. Then again, there was some _theoretical _fire between them that night.

"So, what does this have to do with the dagger?" Brielle demanded eagerly. Cameron still wasn't paying attention; she was glaring at the empty plate in front of her soundlessly. "I mean, fire has nothing to do with it."

"That's a whole other situation," Shaun pointed out, "Your connection has to do with _Oralie_, but Oralie is connected to the Hat and fire."

"But I want to know about the knife," she countered. They both nodded simultaneously.

"The dagger... The dagger causes the petrification," Gemma seemed to now be taking all of the informational parts whereas Shaun was there mostly for comfort. "Oralie charmed it to paralyze whoever it's inserted into so that it made murders much easier. All she has to do is smack them with a hammer or something and they'd shatter."

"But...since they got it out of TJ, he's going to be okay, right?" Cameron chimed in finally. She looked up from the table slowly, and looked like she was going to cry. She seemed to already know the answer, and Brielle had a feeling she wasn't going to like it.

"Well," Shaun said slowly, "It depends. Like Madame Greene said, the drought takes a few days to make. He should be fine, from the waist up at the least - " Gemma elbowed Shaun's ribs, and his eyes widened. "Um, not that his legs would...Uh..."

"Smooth, Shaun," she rolled her eyes, "The dagger causes _paralysis_," Gemma picked up cautiously, "So wherever it was inserted has an almost irreversible effect of paralyzing that body part. In TJ's case, it was right below his hip. There's a chance - a slight chance, but a chance - that he'll be fine, but when he's unpetrified, his legs may not work correctly - "

"_Not work correctly_?" Brielle demanded, and Cameron covered her mouth, stunned, "As in he won't be able to walk?"

"I don't know that for sure," Gemma tried, "Madame Greene could have a cure, but as far as I know right now - "

Cameron stood up and stormed out of the room, half-angry and half-upset. The others watched as she pushed through the doors of the Main Hall and bustled down the corridor, and Gemma sighed. Brielle turned to face them again.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I couldn't lie," she said softly, and Brielle nodded, "Not to you two." Brielle was choked up and knew that if she tried to say anything, she would start crying. So, all she did was nod.

Headmistress Lofaro's voice suddenly came over the room, as if it was coming from the front of the Hall, but the professor was nowhere to be found.

"Attention, students and faculty," she said in a choked up voice, "We have a slight issue at the moment. This afternoon, one of our first year students was paralyzed _and _petrified."

Whispers and gasps sounded from the crowd as her voice continued, "Therefore, we will commence forth with our regular schedule, however there are a few slight changes. From now until we can locate the culprit, we expect no students to leave the castle. No Main Strip. No outdoor classes. No Quidditch." The Drakonas table erupted into yells and hollers, and Brielle heard a curse words flying everywhere.

Spoken like true athletes.

A few of the professors - particularly Professor Dekél, Professor Yule, and Evan - struggled to calm everyone down, and eventually the yelling settled into a low rumble.

"Please, it's for everyone's safety. We have the weapon in our custody, so until we find the perpetrator, there should be no more petrifications this severe, nor should there be paralyses. However, this individual may be dangerous, and we as staff of this school need to keep you all safe no matter what."

The students were looking around, mumbling things like "Do you think it's really her" and "I can't believe she's here".

"Classes will commence as planned tomorrow," Lofaro continued, "All lessons other than outdoor ones are to continue at their scheduled times. Astrology, Flying Lessons, and any outdoor classes and clubs will be replaced by a study hall. Thank you, that is all." Her voice cut out, and all of the students detonated into mass chaos.

So much for a routine Sunday.


	12. 11 : Les Wheels

**Chapter 11: Les Wheels**

**A/N: Greetings and Salutations :) I'll cut the whole conversation at the beginning of the chapter and get right down to brass tax. Please, if you like my story, review and follow and favorite it. Please? I really do like feedback, and I would really appreciate it. Like, a lot.**

Professor Howe seemed particularly nasty that next week, though Brielle wasn't sure if he was actually meaner or if TJ's situation just made it seem that way. Or if it was because Christmas was right around the corner, and he was a Scrooge. In any of these cases, he was a jerk.

TJ _still _wasn't back from the infirmary, even after ten days. Headmistress Lofaro told Madame Greene that Brielle and Cameron weren't allowed to see him, but they didn't know why. Brielle thought it was because Madame Greene couldn't unpetrify him yet since the potion wasn't ready, but Cameron seemed to think it was something to do with the silver dagger. Brielle agreed that it would make sense for them not to be allowed to see the knife, but why lie about it?

Today, two days before Christmas break, that cursed Professor Howe sat in the front of the room and stared at Brielle and Cameron while they were trying to work. He just stared. Cameron didn't seem to notice, but Brielle did. Every time she looked up, he'd have that same annoying expression on his face; he would glare at the girls with narrowed eyes and gnaw on the inside of his cheek. His hands were behind his head and elbows were out, as if he were lying on a beach or something. Which annoyed Brielle.

Then again, _everything _he did annoyed her.

After about five glances up to the professor, Brielle put her quill on the table and crossed her arms. She raised an eyebrow, but he just kept staring. Brielle gave Cameron a little nudge, and she looked up silently and watched Brielle, then the professor. Cam's eyes instantly turned angry and she growled sassily, "Can we _help _you, Professor?" Howe blinked once and took his feet off of his desk, standing and and making his way over to the girls slowly. He leaned on the table in front of where TJ usually sat, and Cameron gritted her teeth.

"_Christina_, it's impolite to call out," he told her nonchalantly, and she squeezed her hands into fists. "We've gone over this before, haven't we? How many times now?"

"Why are you staring at us?" she asked a bit angrily, ignoring his questions and his mistake. Cameron didn't correct him anymore, as much as Brielle wished she would; she just let him call her whatever he wanted since correcting him would_ "give him more power," _said Cameron, at least. Brielle understood that, but the professor seemed like he didn't need to feel _powerful _to provoke them. "Have you got nothing better to do than stare at two little girls?"

"I see why _someone _was put into Voras," he said under his breath as he stood upright and crossed his arms behind his back. Cameron looked super annoyed and, right as she was about to snap at him, he asked, "Where's that pesky friend of yours? The tall one who needs to check his attitude."

"Professor, it's two days before Christmas break," Brielle pointed out tiredly. She was done with him and his stupid aggravation techniques, tired of him trying to get them worked up just so he could give them detentions, "That means we've been in school for three months now. Surely you know his name."

"Of course I know his name," Howe spat, "I'm not an idiot." Brielle thought of saying _I beg to differ_, but she knew she'd get in trouble for that, "I don't like the taste his surname leaves in my mouth, the one his bum father gave him." Brielle rolled her eyes as Cameron let out a deep breath of annoyance, "So? Where is he?"

"You know exactly where he is," Cameron responded pointedly.

"But I don't," he lied, "Would you like to enlighten me?" He truly had the personality of a child. Or he was just evil. Or an evil child.

"He's been out the entire week plus two days," Cameron bitterly told him, "and we're clearly not happy about it."

The professor just raised an eyebrow and smirked. Turning on his heel, he strolled back to his desk as the girls looked at each other. Cameron made a face and rolled her eyes, and Brielle laughed. They both really hated him. Even more, though, Brielle hated that it was only about ten minutes into a class that lasted forty-five. She locked her jaw and continued working on her research, but after about ten _more _minutes she couldn't stand it anymore. She could feel his eyes searing into her skull.

_Still._

Brielle was about to look up and say something to him when she heard the doors push open from the back of the room, followed by the creaks of chairs as everyone turned around. Brielle didn't really care about whoever was entering the room - she imagined it was Lofaro to observe as she often did during some classes, or another professor to borrow something of Howe's - but when everyone began to whisper and Brielle heard a few more bangs against the door, she knew something was off.

"Oh sure, stare but don't get up and help," a familiar voice joked. Brielle could almost picture the smirk on his face.

"Brielle," Cameron gasped and grabbed her arm, but Brielle was already smiling wide. She dropped her quill on the table and turned to see who it was, but instantly wished she hadn't. Her smile faded as she watched two or three more Drakonas stand and hold the doors open. Entering the room was TJ, which would have been absolutely amazing if it weren't for what he was sitting in.

TJ rolled into the room, turning the wheels of a wheelchair with a bit of trouble, and traveled down one of the isles until he reached Cameron and Brielle's desk. He smiled his same crooked smile with bright blue eyes, seeming to be genuinely happy, but the girls didn't return his grin; Brielle and Cameron were shellshocked.

He frowned instantly and his eyes faded - rather than flickered - to brown. TJ said sadly, "You're not happy to see me."

"Of course we are," Cameron didn't sound convincing as she gave a weak smile, "But, um..."

"We didn't expect you to be in a wheelchair," Brielle cautiously picked up, trying not to offend him. He smiled and shrugged. She felt awful because she knew it was partially her fault he couldn't walk; if she didn't have this stupid connection to Oralie, the witch wouldn't have entered the castle and wouldn't have encountered TJ in the first place. "Teej, I'm so sorry."

"Eh, I'm alive, aren't I?" he asked and rolled into his spot, Brielle moving the chair out of the way to make room for him, "Besides, there's lots of perks to being on wheels. I'll be able to move faster through the halls, so I'll never be late to class, and I can give you guys rides if you need them or if we're bored. It'll be more fun than walking, and when I have to go up stairs, Madame Greene told me to hit this button and - "

"Well well, Mister Barry," Professor Howe purred with his stupid American accent as he stood from his desk, and TJ rolled his eyes at the interruption.

"Now I'll be able to run over people's feet, too," TJ whispered, and Brielle could hardly contain herself. But, as the professor was walking over and would interrigate her if she let out even a chuckle, she managed to keep herself together. The professor eyed TJ with a sick smile as he reached the desk.

"Welcome back," he said, and TJ smiled up with a bit of a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Thank you, Professor," he crossed his arms, "Glad to be back."

"You're late," Howe pointed out.

TJ raised an eyebrow, "You say it like I really had a choice," he shot back.

"That's a detention today after classes, Tyler."

"TJ," Brielle corrected, but TJ put a hand on her arm dismissively. He looked at her with an expression that said _let it go_.

"You do realize you've missed quite a few assignments this week," Howe continued as he ignored Brielle and leaned on the desk. He could never seem to keep his weight on his feet. This conversation was snowballing very quickly into a workload, which is where Brielle didn't want it to go, "Of course, you'll have to make them all up despite your condition, probably by tomorrow night so I have them to grade over the break."

And there's the ticket.

"Are you joking?" Cameron actually laughed with a raised eyebrow, "Professor, that's an essay, two quizzes, _and _about _five_ worksheets that all require textual research! A week's worth of work? He won't be able to get all that done by tomorrow night and - "

"Then he'd better get started _now_," Professor Howe interrupted sourly and walked away to the safety of his desk. Good thing, too, because Cameron looked like she was going to shank him with her wand. Howe flicked his wand, and a bounty of papers and books came flying over, plopping themselves in front of TJ. The kid looked the stack top to bottom and took a deep breath to calm himself down, taking in all of his assigned work.

"Jerkoff," Brielle growled and turned to her enfeebled friend, stating quietly, "Teej, we'll help you get everything done. I'll do the essay for you, if you'd like. We should be able to get most of the worksheets done now, since we've already done them and should be familiar with the answers."

"I'll help you study. Granted, we can't _take _the quizzes for you," Cameron whispered so the professor wouldn't hear, "But we _can _do the essay and things, don't even worry about those."

"Thank you," he genuinely told them with a sad smile, and they got to work, starting with the three-page worksheet on the Sea Urchin Jinx.

"There's so much crap to do," TJ mumbled as he buried his face in a Transfiguration textbook.

"That's why we're helping," Brielle pointed out. She brought out the essay she'd written last week on the Draconifors spell, which she'd gotten a B- on. "I promise I'll make your essay better than mine was, though_ I _thought mine was 100%-worthy." TJ snapped the textbook shut and made Brielle jump.

"You know he's the only teacher who's making me do these _stupid _assignments," he pointed out bitterly. They'd been at this for two and a half hours, and Brielle knew he couldn't - for the life of him - remember the difference between _Incarcerous _and _Incarcifors_, even though both did two totally different things. Howe taught in an odd way; he told them all of the spells, and they had to learn what each did, but they were never performed in class and were not allowed to be attempted outside of it. Brielle didn't know why on earth he'd teach them these things without showing them what each one did in class, but since there were so many things she didn't understand about the professor in general, his teaching style was pretty low on the list.

"If it weren't for him," TJ growled as he threw the book to the side. He wheeled towards the large pile of texts they'd accumulated in the library, each one ridden with tricks and acronyms to help remember these spells, "I'd be giving you guys rides up and down the stairs right now." Brielle rolled her eyes and Cameron smirked as he reached for the top of the stack, which he couldn't quite get to. Brielle stood and went to hand him the book, but he swatted her away. "I got this," he said and rolled back a bit, taking his wand from a compartment on the arm of his chair and casting _accio_ at it. The book floated towards him, and he smiled snottily at Brielle.

"You're such a loser, Teej," she told him, forcing a triumphant smirk onto his face. She decided to knock it right off by commanding, "Define the _Incarcifors _spell."

It worked marvelously. "Dude - "

"_Go_," Brielle interjected, and he rolled his eyes.

"Why did I ask _you _to help?" TJ mumbled. He thought for a minute and went to open the book on his lap to sneak a look at what it was, but Cameron flicked her wand and the book went flying across the room. TJ looked up angrily. "_Hey_!" he yelled.

"Professor Howe isn't going to give you a textbook," Cameron pointed out as Brielle kept writing with her special quill that she'd received from Evan for her tenth birthday. It could mimic the handwriting of anyone you asked it to, even if she was the one writing. "You'll be lucky if he even answers any questions you have. Now, _Incarcifors_." TJ rolled his eyes, and flopped his hands in defeat.

"I don't know," he said lazily, "It transfigures an object into a prison, which is suitable for the person you're trying to imprison?" Cameron smiled wide.

"That's it!" she exclaimed, and he smiled too, "Word for word, Teej!"

"I might be getting the hang of this," he said happily, "I'd like to _Incarcifors_ Howe." Brielle shook her head with a smirk since that wasn't the right context for the spell and kept writing. She could hear TJ rolling up from behind her. "What was that head shake for?" he questioned jokingly and nudged her with his elbow, "Hmm?" He kept nudging her until she smiled and set her quill on the desk.

"Can I _help _you?" she asked and poked him back in the shoulder, and TJ held the spot where she'd just poked him.

"Cam, do you see what she does?" he asked and rolled back a little, "You see how she abuses me?" Brielle poked his arm again jokingly, and he swatted her hand as if he were a ninja. Then, he pointed to her accusingly and joked, "Further proving me right!"

"Oh, shush," she teased, and all three of them somehow calmed down from the laughter and managed to keep working. After about another five minutes of studying, Brielle heard a deep breath escape TJ. She rolled her eyes, "You can't already be exasperated?"

"Please," TJ joked, "You don't even know what _exasperated _means." Brielle actually _did _know what it meant from her early school years spent in advanced Muggle classes, but she dropped it as he continued seriously, "Something's been bothering me, something that happened in the infirmary, and it wouldn't be right if I didn't tell you."

"TJ," Cameron said and closed the book on her lap, "You're never serious, and when you are, it's never anything good."

"Well, don't be scared," he said but still looked worried, "but you _should _know…" He looked like he was struggling to get it out.

"Should know _what_?" Brielle urged, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Oralie," he choked out, "She's in the building." Cameron looked like she was going to fall off her chair, but Brielle knew this was coming. It was obvious; if the portkey was broken, then Oralie wouldn't have been able to get out of the castle without detection. Aboriginal apparently had a tracking system for magic transport spells, and Brielle imagined that rumors would've flown through school if they'd sensed Oralie leaving. She must have been in the castle _somewhere_.

"The main problem here _isn't _that she's in the castle, though," he continued, "it's that they don't know where exactly she is, and they can't find her."

"Go figure," Cam rolled her eyes, "She's one of the most powerful sorceresses of all time. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't be."

"There's more," TJ said sadly, his Irish voice rippling through Brielle's ears, "She's here to find you, kid." He turned to Brielle wistfully and looked like he was going to cry.

"For _me_?" she asked, blindsided, "Wh-why me?" But Brielle wasn't stupid; she knew the answer. Of _course _Oralie was looking for her; they were somehow connected, though Brielle didn't know how. But what did she want from an eleven year old girl? A conversation? A partner? An enemy? Did she want to kill Brielle?

"I don't know…" TJ shook his head and rubbed his hands on his wheels nervously, "I...I can't remember…"

"Are you sure?" Brielle pressed, but he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

"I heard Lofaro talking to someone the first night I was de-petrified, but I don't remember much else…"

"That's alright," she said quietly, though she really wished he could think of something else, _anything _else, that he'd heard. He missed all of the important parts, but she knew she shouldn't push him too far. He was clearly already stressed about Transfiguration, and he didn't need her on his case, too.

"Shoot, I just remembered," Cameron said as she stood up, "I have a book on the _Incarcifors _spell that I found when studying for our quiz. He'd put some facts from it on there, I'll go get it." TJ and Brielle nodded and said goodbye as she made her way for the door of the library. As Brielle finally finished the essay, she hung the parchment to dry a bit more and turned to tell TJ the good news, but he wasn't reading anymore. He'd migrated over to the westward-facing window and was looking at the moon's reflection over the lake. Brielle stood up and shoved her hands into her blazer pockets. She walked and pulled a chair up next to TJ, but his gaze stayed over the horizon.

Brielle examined her crippled friend, the distressed look on his face that shouldn't have been there, the wrinkles of furrowed eyebrows across his forehead. She looked at his disheveled uniform. His shirt was untucked and his sleeves were rolled to his elbows, his tie loose and just hanging around his neck. He looked like a Voras student wearing a Drakonas tie. TJ let out a deep breath through his nose, and Brielle averted her eyes to the window, hoping TJ hadn't noticed her staring. Luckily, he seemed like he didn't, "It's beautiful, isn't it? The water, I mean."

Brielle nodded soundlessly, then looked back at TJ. For once, he looked… Sad. Genuinely sad. "My father is a Muggle, you know," he spoke up, "He likes all of the Muggle sports like baseball and football. And surfing. Man, he _loves _surfing. He taught me when I was younger, about seven." Brielle sat by and listened while his eyes stayed locked on the resting water, "We used to surf all the time in Donegal. That's where I'm from, by the way. In Ireland." She figured he was from somewhere in the Emerald Isle. TJ let out another deep breath, "He didn't pay any attention to me or to my brother before we learned how to surf. It's the only thing that we really did together, he was always busy traveling for work… Still is. Whenever he goes on a trip, I'll go to Cameron's house and stay with her and Jesse. I can't be home since my mum left us when I was five. I have to go cross country to Wicklow to live with them over any breaks during the school year, like this upcoming one."

TJ paused for a minute and took a slow breath before he continued. "He's not going to be able to surf with me anymore, I'm going to be utterly useless around my house." TJ looked at Brielle with narrowed eyes, as if he was realizing something. "Have you ever felt like this before? Like you're just a complete waste?"

Brielle would've laughed if it weren't for the fact that he was so upset. She lived in the foster care system for eight years, which meant that, before the Madracks had scooped her up, no one wanted her. She spent the earliest years of her life trying to find those people who knew she _wasn't _worthless, the ones who knew she indeed had _something _to give to the world, that she wasn't just there to do chores. She'd been lucky and actually found those people; many kids in foster care didn't, they became bitter and would stay in the home until they were eighteen and were legal adults.

Brielle nodded slowly in response to TJ's question. "Of course I have," she shrugged, "The foster system tends to do that to you, you know, make you feel completely counterproductive to all of society." He let out a short breath, almost like a laugh, and looked back out the window. "TJ?" He responded with a _hmm_. "Are you angry with me?"

"Angry?" he considered the word for a moment, "Sure, I'm angry. I'm angry that Oralie came to Aboriginal. I'm angry that I'll never be able to surf again. I'm angry that Professor Howe is making me do all this crap by tomorrow. But I'm not angry with you in any way." He looked at her seriously, "And that's the truth."

"Why, though?" she questioned, "All those things are _my _fault, if I weren't connected to her, she wouldn't be looking for me, she wouldn't have come here, and she wouldn't have paralyzed you." She paused a second, choking up. "It's my fault you missed the week and have to do all this, it's my fault you'll never surf again."

Brielle couldn't believe that, in only three or so short months, she'd managed to wreak havoc all over the school. Not only that, but one of the closest friends she'd ever had became _paralyzed _and he would never walk again due to her. How could he _not _be upset with her? She sure was upset with herself.

"No, it isn't," he told her and nudged her shoulder. "It's Oralie's fault, she did this to me. Not you." Brielle nodded, but she still felt guilty. "I'm actually _happy _with you."

"You are?" She felt like a little kid again, about four years old, and in the foster home, asking the same question to the Head of House.

"Of course," he smiled sweetly as he wrapped his arm around her in a hug, which Brielle tensed up at. She'd never hugged anyone other than her family, even if it was just an arm around her shoulder. "Madame Greene said that if you hadn't found me when you did, I would've been frozen like that forever, with the knife still stuck in my leg. You pretty much saved me." Brielle sat up as he added, "Plus, I just conned you into writing my essay for me, so that makes me pretty happy." She laughed and shoved his arm a little.

"You're an idiot," she told him, and he shrugged and smirked.

"I'm the funniest idiot _ever_," he sniffled cockily, and Brielle rolled her eyes. A voice sounded from behind them as TJ nudged her back.

"Brielle?" Gemma's voice spoke, and she turned around to see Gemma smiling and leaning on the bookshelf, Shaun next to her. As always.

_Can I not catch a break?_ Brielle thought as TJ asked, "Wait, who is it?" He managed to turn his wheelchair around to see Gemma and Shaun, and he smiled.

"You guys are out past curfew, did you know that?" Gemma asked with that sly smile, as if they'd _meant_ to be out past curfew.

"We were just leaving, actually," Brielle lied and brushed past Gemma's shoulder to grab her things. Gemma's eyes followed and her eyebrows raised in skepticism.

"What're you doing up here?" Shaun asked honestly.

"Professor Howe," TJ answered as he pushed his wheels to get to his things, "gave me a million assignments. Cameron and Brielle helped me finish them." His hands were slipping all around his wheels, and Shaun strolled over and pushed the chair to his book bag. TJ thanked him and let out a short breath, wiping his hands on his pant legs.

"You know, they have everything at McFall's Craftwork on the Main Strip. I'll bet you can get leather wheel gloves there for traction," Shaun said as TJ finished gathering his things and strapping his bag onto his wheelchair. "Since I'm a sixth year and firsts aren't allowed on the Strip without supervision, I could escort you. Actually, all four of us can go."

"That'd be fun," Gemma said chipperly and helped Brielle gather the books into her limitlessly expanded bag, "We can go after the Christmas break."

"Alright then, it's a date," TJ said happily as Brielle dropped the huge pile of books she was carrying to her bag. Gemma turned her back to TJ to face Brielle with her eyebrows raised.

"A da - "

"Not a date," Brielle quickly interrupted as she knelt on the ground to retrieve her things. "_Not_ a date...A _plan_."

"Hey guys," Cameron bounced back into the library with a book held up by her ear, "I found...it…" she trailed off when she saw everyone staring at Brielle, who was picking the scattered books off the ground. Cam looked to Shaun and Gemma. "Shoot," her arm fell to her side, "I forgot about curfew…" Brielle let out a breath if relief; thank goodness Cam just thought they were getting in trouble for being out past curfew and not planning a "date".

"Yes," Brielle picked up on this as if it were a lie and expanded it, "They were just telling us, we're out too late. It's past curfew." Gemma narrowed her eyes at Brielle, but went along with it.

"You should probably get to bed," she said and stuck her hands in her pockets. "Go on now." Cameron nodded and handed TJ the book, taking the handles of his wheelchair and pushing him towards the library doors. Brielle picked up the rest of her books, slinging her limitless bag over her shoulder, and scampered towards the door, but Gemma caught her arm first. "Hold on, kid." Brielle frowned at her older friend.

"You coming?" Cameron called, and Brielle shook her head.

"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up." Cameron reluctantly pushed TJ out of the door, and Brielle rolled her eyes over to Gemma. The sooner she faced her nonsense, the better.

"What were you two doing?" Gemma smiled and sat down, nodding to the seat in front of her. Shaun - who Brielle forgot was even there - migrated over to Gemma's side as Brielle sat down hesitantly.

"Homework," Brielle said, and Shaun nudged his girlfriend's arm.

"Give it a rest, hmm? They're first years."

"Who _like _each other," she said and wiggled her eyebrows, and Brielle let out a breath. She didn't have time for this foolishness.

"Gemma, _please_," Brielle said, "If i liked him, you'd be able to tell, not just guess."

"I'm not _guessing_."

"Yes, you are, because - and I _can't_ stress this enough - _I do not like TJ_." Gemma crossed her arms and legs, but Shaun rolled his eyes along with Brielle.

"Since when are _you_ a romantic?" he asked with actual shock, and she shrugged. Her face turned pink quickly.

"I'm not a romantic," she argued and glared at Shaun. They sat looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity with the same expression on their faces. They both raised an eyebrow and smirked, and Brielle made fake gagging sounds.

"Before you two start _snogging _- "

"Which," Gemma broke the stare and looked to Brielle, "you wish you could do with TJ."

"I'm leaving!" she shot her hands up in surrender and grabbed her bag, making a beeline for the door. This had happened every time Gemma saw those two together. She would ask Brielle a bunch of questions and act like she had some big, secret crush on TJ, which she didn't.

Every. Time.


	13. 12 : No Place Like Home

**Chapter 12: No Place Like Home**

**Alright I know this is long overdue, but here's the next chapter :) Hope you all like it, please don't forget to comment or favorite or both if you're feeling extra kind today:)**

Since there was no Quidditch to be played after TJ's paralysis, all of the games were postponed until after the Christmas break. They didn't even have time for practices. Instead of spending time with sports, Brielle decided to spending her time with Evan. After he accepted her apology with a don't worry about it and an I should've listened instead of shooting you down right away, she had lunch and tea with him. He informed Brielle that many of the professors - the most knowledgeable of them - were staying here to search for Oralie over the Christmas break. Brielle had an unsettling feeling that not all of the staff would be here upon their return to Aboriginal, but she couldn't worry about that right now. Now, she had to worry about TJ and his Transfiguration assignments.

There was about an hour before Aboriginal opened the Floo Network for students to start going home for the break, and Brielle was spending the time with Cameron outside of the Transfiguration room. Brielle didn't say much to her small blonde friend, but that was mostly because she was rambling quickly about her previous Christmases. When she was six, Cam had received a bike that could fly and Jesse had been given a new broomstick. At age eight, her parents bought her a pure white kitten named Nigrum, which apparently had cost them a fortune to find, and Jesse was given a black and brown owl named Ibis that was of a very rare species.

"I can't choose whether Nigrum was my favorite gift or if it was the opal wizard chess set my father bought me last year. Wizard chess is my absolute favorite game in the world," she rambled, then paused and narrowed her eyes to ask, "What's your favorite present?"

Brielle pushed her glasses up her nose and shrugged. "I don't really have a favorite," Brielle responded, "I've only had three real Christmases. I like all the gifts they've given me."

"There has to be something you liked best," Cameron pushed.

Brielle swallowed and sat back, pondering this for a bit. The truth was, she appreciated whatever the Madracks got her because she'd never gotten anything for Christmas before moving in with them. They had treated her so well that it was difficult to put labels on which were good and which were bad. "Well," Brielle said slowly and looked at her limitlessly expanded bag, "I did receive this bag my first year at their house, I suppose that's my favorite."

"A bag?" another voice shot from behind her. Brielle turned to see Jesse strolling down the hall with Mickey. Mickey was holding hands with that girl from the common room. Brielle didn't know her name. "What's so special about a bag?"

"Well, it's really nice," Brielle said defensively, "And Evan charmed it to be limitless." Jesse looked as if he was about to say something, probably with condescension, but the look Cameron gave him seemed to make him think twice.

"We're gonna keep going," Mickey nudged Jesse, and he nodded.

"See you after break, mate. Happy Christmas," he responded as Mickey and that other girl walked off. Jesse turned back to his sister and Brielle and plopped on the bench across from them. The halls were really quiet when there weren't students running to the next class. They were almost peaceful if it weren't for the feeling that Oralie could've been just about anywhere at this point. "So you've never had an exceptional Christmas?" Jesse asked Brielle.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because your best present was a bag," he responded quickly with derision. She shrugged.

"I've never had a family who would be around long enough to care about my Christmas," she admitted, "At Continental we got a candy cane and somewhat of a large dinner, but only if we got donations. And when I moved in with the Madracks, they couldn't give me the world like your father can give you. Larissa is a Muggle lawyer, but her money doesn't transfer to Galleons and things, so it's only good for food. Joseph is a curse breaker at that gobblin bank in Diagon Alley, Gringotts; he doesn't make much. They're not famous broom-makers like your father and can't afford fancy pets." Jesse took a breath and looked at Cameron.

"You know," he said, "You and your family should come by for Christmas dinner, if you don't already have plans. It's just me, Cam, TJ, and our parents, we don't invite the whole family over or anything."

Brielle considered it for a moment and thought it might be a good idea. It'd certainly be fun, and Joe and Larissa would probably be open to going to meet her friends, especially since the last letter she received from Larissa sounded like she didn't believe that Brielle had made any. "I'll have to ask them, but I don't see why not."

Just then, the door to the Transfiguration room was opened, and TJ rolled out slowly, trying not to bump into the sides of the doorframe. He managed to get out after Cameron hopped up and held the door open for him, and he was beaming. "I passed!" he exclaimed, and he was met by congratulatory words and high fives. "I thought I was a gonner in there, every time I got a wrong answer, the word I wrote would turn red," he said, then sighed and held his stomach as it growled, "Let's go get food, I'm hungry."

As Cameron and Jesse walked ahead of them - probably to talk about Brielle going over for Christmas dinner - Brielle strode next to TJ. He seemed to be gaining more and more control over his wheelchair every day, and his arms were getting stronger, so he could keep up with her long strides for a longer period of time.

"I told you you'd do well," Brielle poked his shoulder, and he smiled with a shrug, but stayed facing forwards.

"I know you did," he said as they rolled towards the Main Hall. After a few moments of silence, he said, "Your essay got another B, by the way."

"What?" she couldn't believe she'd gotten another B. Stupid Howe…he didn't know what he was talking about. "What were the points off from? What were his marks?"

"He didn't make any marks," TJ replied, "I think it's a B just because it was my essay, and we all know how much he loves me."

Brielle let it go as they caught up to Jesse and Cameron at the doors of the Main Hall. "At least we won't have to deal with him until January," Brielle pointed out, and TJ readily agreed, though he said January wasn't far enough away.

"I'll see you on the other side," Evan nudged her shoulder and went through the Floo Network. He said that they were meeting Joseph at a shop in the Duka, somewhere called Moody and Craftston's. Cameron had mentioned it before, but Brielle didn't know what it was.

Grabbing a handful of the Floo Powder, Brielle smiled at Professor Lewis, who was running the network today. She stepped into the fireplace-looking structure, and, as she was about to throw the powder, she saw Cameron and TJ racing towards her, yelling her name. She looked at Lewis again with embarrassment, replacing the powder and allowing another person to go before her.

"TJ, slow down!" Cameron yelled as TJ took the lead quickly, skidding to a stop so that Cameron could catch up, but he stopped too soon and his chair tipped, and he spilled onto the ground. "Teej!" Cameron gasped, but he was laughing on his back.

"That was sick!" he exclaimed as Brielle laughed along with him, helping Cameron get him back into his wheelchair.

"You're going to hurt yourself," Cameron told him protectively, but she was laughing with them, so she clearly wasn't too serious about it. She straightened her blazer, which was very uncommon since she was in Voras, and pushed a piece of her long blonde hair behind her ear. "Brielle, I'm glad we caught you before you left, I was afraid you'd be gone by now."

"Well, I don't have much time," Brielle responded anxiously, putting her hands on her hips. She instinctively felt for her wand, which was exactly in place, contained within the dragonskin holder she'd gotten from Gemma. Gem said she always kept an extra, just in case, but she had no use for it. Why anyone would need an extra wand holder, Brielle didn't know. But she'd gotten it for free, so she didn't question it. "What's the matter?"

"We just wanted to give you these," TJ said and dug through his pouch that hung from the arm of his wheelchair. He pulled out two pieces of paper, one blank and one with two addresses scribbled onto it. He held out a quill. "Write your address," he told her, and she jotted it down quickly. "The bottom address is mine," he continued, "but I'll be spending the majority of break with Cameron and Jess, so it's no use sending Péleda there." Brielle made a mental note not to send any letters to TJ's house unless he wrote from there first.

"I'm going to miss you guys," Brielle said as she folded the paper and stuck it in her pocket, "I haven't had friends that I've actually missed in a long time, since Connor."

"Speaking of whom," TJ turned to Cameron, "Where's he been? He hasn't been in Padral's class all month."

"He got suspended," she wrung her neck uncomfortably, "He apparently was caught peeping in the girls' bathroom in the Voras common room. I wasn't in there, of course, and if I were I would've stuck it to him hard, I really would've, and - "

"Cam," TJ rolled his eyes up to her with a smirk, "You're talking too much, she has to go. You could've just said he got suspended for peeping." It was funny that Cam was so short, because - even in the wheelchair - TJ was just about the same height as her. If pressed, Brielle would give a slight edge to Cameron because today she was wearing her hair in a messy bun on the very top of her head. If she weren't, they would've been the same height.

"Shut it," she mumbled and crossed her arms stubbornly. Brielle chuckled at how they always seemed to argue but were also best friends, "She's got some time, right?"

"Actually, Evan's going to be worried if I don't go now," Brielle peeked back at the Floo, then turned to her friends. Cameron gave a sad smile and hugged Brelle tightly, her chin barely resting on Brielle's shoulder (but only because Cam was on her tip toes). "Happy Christmas, Cam," she said, and Cameron repeated the phrase back to Brielle. She pulled away and bent over to TJ, who wrapped his arms around her neck gently.

"I'll see you after break, Ells," he whispered, "Stay safe, and happy Christmas."

"You too, Teej," she responded and pulled away, then smiled at both of them and readjusted the bag on her shoulder. TJ's oculus eyes shifted from blue to brown, though Brielle didn't really know why he'd be upset. Maybe because he was going to miss her? "I'll write you as soon as I get home, and hopefully, I'll see you Christmas night." They both grinned at her and gave her a final goodbye as she hopped back into the Floo, grabbing some powder as she went.

Brielle cleared her throat and brushed her hair behind her ear. Cameron gave one final wave, and TJ smirked, doing the same. "Moody and Craftston's," she commanded as she threw the Floo powder down. A rush of heat overwhelmed her, but didn't burn her. As the familiar bright light came nearer, Brielle prepared herself for the landing - or at least she thought she did. she lurched forwards again when she exited the Floo, but she didn't fall onto her face this time. Instead, she slammed straight into something solid.

"Whoa there," Evan's deep, recognizable voice sounded. She felt his hand wrap around her arm to keep her from falling, but she was breathless from the impact to her stomach. She had run into a table that was situated directly in front of the Floo. Why anyone would put a table right there was beyond her, but her glasses hadn't fallen off and she hadn't hurt anything, so she pushed it out of her mind. "What took you so long, Elle? I was getting worried."

"TJ and Cam caught me before I left," she told him, regaining her breath and balance, "They gave me their addresses to write." She felt in her pocket, where the small paper still remained. She didn't want to lose their addresses...she'd have to wait for them to write to her, first.

She and Evan walked for a minute through a long hallway, then when they reached the end, Evan pushed two wooden swinging saloon doors open, and they passed through to a large area with wooden benches and a lot of people, some of which Brielle recognized from Aboriginal. She could tell from their blazers and from the fact that a lot of the girls were still staring at Evan, which left a foul taste in Brielle's mouth.

Evan nudged her shoulder and pointed to the front doors, where an anxious man was waiting. Brielle's eyes lit up as she ran forward. "Joe!" she yelled, and her foster father searched for the source of the noise. When he laid eyes on her, his lips broke into a large, goofy grin and he got onto one knee.

"Brielle!" he responded as she tackled him in a hug. He laughed and swung her around, then kissed her cheek and set her on the ground. He looked like he'd gotten in better shape since she'd left. Brielle looked around, then frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Where's Larissa?" she asked, and Joe sighed.

"Muggles can't come to the Duka, remember?" he reminded her, and she did in fact remember from the first day of school. TJ had been wandering around without parents because his father was a Muggle. He was on his feet, walking around the Duka...

"Dad," Evan's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as Joe gave Evan a hug, "How've you been? You look like you've lost weight?"

"Ah, so you noticed," Joseph said proudly, "I dropped a few pounds, yes. Your mother threw out all my chocolate frogs…"

Evan and Brielle laughed as Joe slung his arms around their shoulders and led them out of Moody and Craftston's, walking them down the busy streets of the Duka. "What's been new?" he asked, "I haven't been getting many letters, Miss Thing." Brielle smirked at the ground and rolled her eyes. "What have you been up to, then?"

"Well, I made - " she started to say something about the Quidditch team, but she decided not to say anything quite yet. Joseph looked at her expectantly, so she shrugged. "I made some new friends," she finished, "I've been with them a lot, and with schoolwork I haven't had time for much else." He seemed to accept that answer, and he asked about her friends.

"The ones from the letters?" he asked, "Are they who you've been hanging out with?"

"Yes," she half-lied, and continued, "Gemma, TJ, Cameron. In fact, Cameron and her brother Jesse invited us over for Christmas dinner," she told him happily.

"They did, now, did they?" he pondered, "Do Cameron and Jesse have a last name?"

"Ramos," she said quietly, hoping he didn't recognize it, but of course, he did. Joe's eyes lit up and he almost tripped.

"As in the broom family?" he asked, bewildered, and she nodded, "Gosh, I wish we could go, but Larissa's mum is coming over to meet you." Brielle wrinkled her nose.

"The one who yelled over the phone when she told her you adopted me?" she recalled, "Because you adopted a 'no good rat kid from the slums'? I believe those were her exact words…"

"Aw, kid," Evan cut in, "She'd not as mean as she sounds. Grandmum… she doesn't like anyone, it's not just you. She's very traditional, you know, she thinks we should only include biological relatives in our family. But I'm sure when she meets you, she'll fall in love with you."

Brielle nodded, but she didn't believe him. She sounded pretty rude on the phone, and Brielle imagined that they wouldn't get along too well.

"Sweet Pea, oh I missed you," Larissa circled Brielle in her arms and kissed the top of her head, "How have you been? How's Aboriginal, how's being in Drakonas? Is it all you dreamed it would be?" Brielle nodded feverishly, and decided this would be the best time to tell them. She'd just gotten home, and they would be so happy to see her that they couldn't get mad, right?

"Drakonas is great," Brielle started, "In fact, One of my closest friends is the Quidditch assistant captain of Drakonas. And during flying lessons, I was approached by the professor and he said that I had a real knack for flying."

"Wait, Elle," Evan cut in as he brought his trunk in behind him, but Brielle didn't listen.

"So he talked to Professor Dekél, the Drakonas Quidditch coach, and she told the other captain, Marcos, to watch me fly, and he invited me to tryouts."

"Brielle - "

"And I went, and they offered me a spot as a beater," she continued cautiously but with excitement. Larissa had a very blank expression on her face, and when Joseph walked in, he mimicked it.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Did you know Brielle made the Drakonas Quidditch team?" Larissa said calmly, and Joseph crinkled his eyebrows.

"I thought we said no Quidditch," he said with disappointment, "Is that how you injured your arm at the beginning of the year?"

"How'd you know I - " Brielle cut herself off and turned to face Evan angrily. He shrugged and mouthed the word sorry, but Brielle figured she'd just made up with him. She didn't feel like arguing with him anymore. She knew he wasn't truly sorry, but whatever. "Look, that wasn't my fault."

"Whose fault, then?" Joseph asked protectively, and Brielle knew he wasn't angry. He couldn't be, not at her, "Hmm? How does someone else break your arm?"

"We were in flying lessons," she started, "and I was doing exceptionally well. That's what Professor Padral said, at least, and he sent me up with the second and third years and - "

"So it's the professor's fault?" Joseph demanded, his voice getting louder. Brielle shrank back a bit - he'd never yelled at her before. She hadn't been yelled at in five or so years.

"No, it was Jesse's," Brielle told him quietly, "He accidentally pushed me of the broom, honest, it was an accident. I - "

Joseph held a hand up for her to stop talking, and she did so quickly. He let out a deep breath and ran two hands over his face. "Look, Brielle, I don't want you playing Quidditch."

"Why not?" she countered, "You've never given me a good reason."

"Because you could get hurt," he said pointedly.

"Joe," Larissa said quietly and saw that Brielle was starting to get upset. Joseph turned to her and nodded. Larissa knelt down on one knee and ran her hands over Brielle's arms. She smiled sweetly and tried to keep Brielle from continuously turning to look at Joe. She put her hands on either side of her face, and she smiled at her foster mother. "We can talk later, alright Sweet Pea?" Brielle nodded and looked back at Joseph, who was leaning on the counter.

"Elle why don't you head up to your room, hmm?" Evan suggested, "When your stuff gets home, I'll bring it up." Brielle nodded silently again and took one last look at Joseph, who wasn't even looking at her. How could he have if she'd directly disobeyed his orders? She hadn't expected him to be this angry over it, it's not like the arm didn't heal, anyways.

Brielle scurried up to her room - Péleda in hand - and grabbed a pen and some paper from her dresser. Man, it was so nice not to use a quill and ink at the moment. There was only so much dipping and wiping and angling she could take before she lost it… Brielle quickly set Péleda down in her usual spot and closed all of the windows in her room, then opened the cage door for Péleda to fly around a bit as she wrote the letter to her friends.

Dear TJ, Cameron, and Jesse,

As promised, I'm writing immediately after I got home. The trip was easy, just using the opal ring was better than using the Floo Network. I can never get the hang of that thing… Anyways…

I told Joseph and Larissa about making the Quidditch team and they weren't too happy… They never told me why they don't want me playing, but I have a feeling it's more than just the fact that I could get injured. Larissa didn't seem to mind as much as Joseph did… He was angry because he knew about my arm being broken (Evan told them) and told me he wanted me to quit. I don't want to quit, and I don't think I will, but just the fact that he reacted so poorly makes me a bit upset.

I suppose I'll speak to you three later, hopefully you greeting your parents went better than me greeting mine.

Sincerely yours,

Brielle.

With Christmas dinner completely slipping her mind, Brielle held her arm out for Péleda and waited for the bird to land on it. She landed with a plop and dug her talons into Brielle's arm a bit, but she'd grown used to it over the past three years. Brielle stuck the letter in Péleda's beak and opened the window, and she flew away with the letter in mouth, headed to the Ramos house in Wicklow.

She sighed as she tucked the pen away in a drawer. Then, there was a knock on the door, and Evan was standing in the entrance to her room, leaning against the doorframe. "Hey," he said and motioned to her room, "Can I come in?"

"You're already in," Brielle mumbled with a shrug and plopped on her bed. Evan was carrying her limitlessly expanded bag on his shoulder and set it on the edge of the bed, right next to where he was sitting. Brielle gave a weak smile, "Thank you."

She thought that would send him away - because she really just wanted to be alone right now and not with him - but he stayed put. the worst part wasn't that he was still there, it was that he wasn't saying anything; he was just staring at Brielle. "What?" she asked a bit more harshly than she'd wanted to, and he sighed.

"Brielle, I'm sorry I told Dad about your arm," he said gently, "It was something he had to know. I didn't tell him how to spare the whole Quidditch argument, but - "

"How'd that work out?" she asked pointedly, and Evan stopped talking and nodded. "Ev, I just want to fly," she said quietly, "That's all I want to do, it's all I've ever wanted to do."

"I know," he agreed, "I absolutely know that. The only thing is, Dad… When he was a kid, his little sister and he were flying around the pitch at school… Her name was Jamie." Jamie and Joseph, Brielle thought as Evan continued, "And no one was watching Jamie. She was twelve years old, and she was chasing the snitch, and Dad went down for a water break. But Jamie kept flying. He thought she'd be okay, but she was flying and the snitch took a turn and was going straight for a post. Before Jamie realized it, the snitch took a last-second turn, but it was too late for her to turn, too, and she hit the post and fell. She was in a medically-induced coma, which turned into a non-medically induced coma, and she died three weeks later." Brielle took all of that in and now finally understood why he didn't like the sport.

"Dad never picked up a broom again," he told her, and she automatically felt bad for assuming the worst of Joseph. He didn't want her to play for a legitimate reason, not just because he said so. "And that broom I told you about, the one that I don't know the location of? That's Aunt Jamie's broom. Dad never shows it to anyone, not even Mum. He feels like it's his fault she fell off."

"But it's not," Brielle argued, though it was pointless now because she herself felt bad, "And I'm not going to run into the rings, I'm not a seeker."

"Neither was Aunt Jamie," he pointed out and sighed. "I want you to play. But it's not my decision. So, I had an idea. Maybe we can get Dad to come to a game, yes? He'd see how good you are. Jamie was just a beginner, she hadn't taken many flying lessons at that point. But you… kid, you're a prodigy. That's what Rikki - erm, Professor Dekél - tells me, and it's what I saw in that game against Ara." Brielle smiled and nodded.

"Let's invite him to the one against Voras," she suggested, "That'll be the best game of the year." Evan smiled, too, and nodded.

"That sounds like a great idea," he agreed, "Let's go for it."

Evan and Brielle hopped off the bed and went downstairs, where Joseph was sitting in his chair in the family room watching television. He seemed grumpy, but she wanted him to come watch desperately to prove to him how good she is and that she deserves this.

"Joe?" she asked, and he looked up and turned around.

"Yeah, kid," he said as more of a statement than a question, and then turned back to the television. Brielle glanced back at Evan, who gave a nod of encouragement, and she made her way over to the side of his chair.

He looked at his foster daughter a bit sadly, but overall his expression was blank. "So…I was talking to Evan, and we had the idea that you should...um…" she paused and thought about how to word the question as he kept looking at her blankly. "Maybe you and Larissa could come to a game, sometime. You know, so I can show you." He swallowed and blinked once, but his expression didn't change. "I mean… I think it'd be fun. You could come see me kick some Voras butt." He smirked and looked back at the television, but didn't really respond to the question. Brielle sighed and looked at Evan, who gave her another nod.

"Joseph…" Brielle pulled out his whole name rather than just Joe, which seemed to get his attention, "Please? I want you to see how good I actually am. I won't make the same mistakes that - " she cut herself off early and caught her blunder, then finished, " - that you think I will." He took a second and an a hand over his tired face, though Brielle didn't know why he was so tired if they hadn't done much today other than come home from school. Maybe he was just stressed about work, he had always said how difficult curse-breaking was…

Joe let out a sigh, then nodded. "Fine, I'll come, but - "

"Thank you!" Brielle yelled and tackled him in a hug, making him let out an umph sound. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"But," he reemphasized, "You need to be careful, no more broken arms. Yes?"

Brielle nodded emphatically, "Yes, yes of course. No more broken anything, Joe, I promise." He smiled and let her go from the hug, and she looked to Evan, who had his arms crossed and a huge grin spread from cheek to cheek. It was one of the few times he actually smiled rather than smirking.

He wasn't going to regret this!


	14. 13: Christmas Dinner

**Chapter 13: Christmas Dinner**

**A/N: Hello helloooooo :) Concussion = completely gone, thank the good Lord. Also, hockey season is in full gear, so I'm getting a ton of exposure in that respect (not that anyone cares but hey that's what's going on with me). Anyways, please favorite/comment/fan or all of the above, that'd be nice :)**

**~J**

Brielle yawned and looked out the window of her bedroom. The sun hadn't come completely up yet; it was just starting to peek over the horizon. She sat up, as sleep probably wasn't going to return to her at this point, and pushed her window open to let some fresh hair in. The crisp December morning was chilly, but it was nice since the Madrack household was typically something of a sweatlodge. Brielle smiled to herself and turned to her door to go brush her teeth, but before she opened the door, she heard a cooing from the window. She faced the window again to see a sleek black owl with brown hints in its feathers. It looked very rare and very expensive, and she automatically knew who it was from.

Brielle strolled over and pet the bird with the back of her finger, and the owl - Ibis was his name, she recalled - cooed at her. She smiled and took the package from his beak. She opened the envelope and saw Jesse's handwriting sprawled messily across a plain piece of parchment in dark ink.

_Hey kid,_

_Is that __pen_ _you were writing in? Wow, converting back to your old ways quickly, huh? But I'll let it slide since you're confused and don't know what exactly you are._

Jesse was really arrogant about this whole pure-blooded thing; he never did anything like a Muggle, always like a wizard. Brielle rolled her eyes and kept reading.

_Anyways, my mum and dad want to know if you're coming over for dinner tonight. You never got back to us on that. I really hope you can, everyone misses you. Well, everyone except Cameron, that is._

Then, the handwriting changed to small, orderly letters - Cameron's handwriting.

_You idiot, she's not going to believe that!_

They must've been using some sort of quill that wrote based on the voices it heard, because the next part of the letter was an argument going from Jesse's handwriting to Cameron's, then back again, and occasionally both handwritings were slurred overtop of each other.

The writing switched again to tiny capital letters that were relatively messy, but readable.

_Do you two ever stop bickering! Geez…_

The mess of Cameron and Jesse ended at that point, probably because the parchment and quill were taken to a different room. The new handwriting clearly belonged to TJ, who seemed to be the voice of reason here.

_They're always arguing over everything. It's gotten worse this year, I'm sure because of the whole housing situation. So, are you coming to dinner? I think that's where Jess left off… Mrs. Ramos wants to know how big of a ham to prepare...she's got about five different ones in the icebox right now. I was like 'what why?' Haha, anyways…_

_Can't wait to see you soon, Ells. Even if it's not for dinner, you have to come here soon. I'd say we'd come to you but for one, it would be impossible to get Jesse and Cameron to get in the same enclosed vehicle for that long…yeah, that's really the only reason we can't go there._

_~TJ, Jesse, and Cameron_

Brielle smiled and put the letter in the drawer of her desk, pulling a piece of new parchment and her quill from her other drawer. She set up some ink and began to respond.

_Happy Christmas, everyone!_

_Unfortunately, Larissa's mum is coming over tonight to meet me for the first time, so I won't be able to come to your house. She seems like a person who… well… let's just say she seems very, very rude. I'll definitely let you know how that goes… I have to wear a dress, Cameron. I didn't even think I owned a dress until I dug through my closet. Larissa must've bought me one while I was at school. It's not ugly, I just hate dresses._

_Anyway, I'm sorry I can't come, but I'll definitely take you up on that offer to just come hang out. I miss you all so much, it's weird not riding on the back of TJ's wheelchair to Spellwork, or getting in trouble with Professor Howe-Does-He-Stay-Employed every day (even though that isn't our fault). And I miss playing Quidditch more than you can imagine; ever since I told Joseph and Larissa about making the team, they haven't asked me about it, haven't discussed it. Even though I convinced Joe to come to our Drakonas vs. Voras game, he put a lock on the broom cabinet so I can't get into it. I have to wait until Joe and Larissa go to work and Evan can open it, and even then, he's often too busy with grading term papers to open it. _

_With __Péleda, I'm sending you all your Christmas presents. I hope you like them, they're not much but they're just something I thought you'd enjoy._

_I'll have to write you later since I'm running out of parchment here… I'll see you soon, hopefully. _

_Happy Christmas!_

_Brielle_

Brielle waited until the ink dried to fold the parchment, and during those short five minutes, she rounded up the presents she'd bought for each of her friends. She even got something to Jesse: she'd bought him this magnetic, shape-shifting putty that he could use for pranks. Even though he wasn't in Raposo, she knew he'd have fun with it. Brielle bought Cameron a journal that never ran out of pages. She'd traded an old broach Larissa had given her for the book, and she knew that Cameron would love it; besides, without Brielle in the same house as her, she needed someone - or something - to vent to.

Lastly, she'd bought TJ a pair of leather wheel gloves. They were a lot of money for an eleven year old - Evan had needed to help her out with the purchase - but they were something that would be very useful for him. Brielle knew his hands always slipped and slided on the rubber of the wheels, and the gloves should give him more traction.

Once the ink dried, she gave the note and gifts to Péleda and sent her to the Ramos house. Checking her clock, she realized it was only 5:30 in the morning. Brielle sighed, unsure of what to do at this point, and plopped on her bed and pulled out her own journal and began writing a story she'd been working on for a while. It was about a girl who had mysterious powers, and she was learning how to use them.

Most kids would have been sleeping in, or - especially on Christmas - woken up the rest of their family and ran downstairs to see all the presents Santa Claus brought him or her. However, Brielle had never gotten that into Christmas. Growing up in Continental, the biggest Christmas present was a little bag of candy and quite possibly a letter from prospective families. That was really all they had to look forward to. She wasn't used to being spoiled like a lot of other children, and she'd learned to value her presents a lot more than most kids her age.

Once the Madracks officially adopted her, Brielle learned that even the smallest presents to other kids were large for her. For example, the bag Joseph and Larissa had given her went a long way; it was much more stunning and exciting than a bag of peppermint bark. She appreciated the thought and the physical gift itself, whereas the other kids would've been excited about that until they opened their next present, and so on.

There was a faint knock on Brielle's bedroom door, and she set the journal down as it opened and Evan's head popped in. He smiled at her, and she swallowed and motioned for him to come in. He closed the door behind him.

"Hey, Stretch," he said gently and patted her leg, "You're up early."

"It _is _Christmas," she said matter-of-factly, "and even though I'm not a normal, spoiled kid, I'm still excited." Evan smirked and rubbed his eye tiredly. "Why are you up?"

Evan shrugged and pulled out a small box from the inside pocket of his robe. It was wrapped in red paper with little green trees on it, and there was a big green bow on top. The tag read "Stretch". Brielle smiled as he forked over the present, and she looked at him with eyebrows raised, and he gave her the nod of approval to open it. She took the paper off happily - despite the fact that she wasn't the biggest fan of Christmas, she still liked receiving presents.

She peeled back the paper to reveal a small black box. It was about ten centimeters by five centimeters. It looked like a shorter version of the box Jedidiah gave her for her wand upon purchase. Brielle pulled the lid off carefully to find a pair of purple and black athletic goggles. She smiled and took them from the box, turning them over in her hands several times.

"I got them from the Main Strip," Evan explained, "They're fog proof so when you're playing, your goggles don't hinder you." Brielle tried them on - they were uber comfortable, and she knew they would look much better with the Drakonas uniform than the makeshift silver ones Marcos gave her.

"Thank you, Ev," Brielle smiled and hugged her foster brother, then took the goggles off and replaced her glasses. "I put your gift downstairs yesterday." She felt bad that he didn't have anything to give him now, and that sort of ruined the moment.

"Don't worry about it, Stretch," he chuckled, probably noticing that she became upset, and kissed the top of her head. "We'll be downstairs soon enough." He stood and ran a hand through his bedhead, messing it up even more, then walked to the door.

"Oh, and do come down soon. Ma and Dad have been waiting for you for about an hour now," he remarked before actually leaving the room. Brielle checked the clock and noticed that she completely let time slip away from her. It was 8:00! Wow, that time went by very fast.

Brielle tiredly made her way down the stairs and into the family room, where the tree was set up and the presents laid underneath. Brielle had never truly believed in Santa Claus. She did, however, believe in Christmas spirit, and this kept her from telling Larissa and Joseph she knew about Santa Claus. She felt like she owed it to them. They always got so excited when she opened something from Santa. To be honest? Though she found the whole concept of a fat, old man traveling to every single household in one night "improbable," as Gemma would put it.

"Sweet Pea," Larissa have Brielle a hug as she came into the room and plopped in her usual spot on the sofa once she was released. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, Larissa. Joe," Brielle responded with a small smile. She peeked under the tree and saw a few familiar boxes that she'd wrapped for each person in her family, and she saw two that she didn't recognize.

"This is for you," Joseph said and pulled one of the unfamiliar boxes, handing it to the girl. She smiled and set it down, going to her knees and crawling under the tree. Brielle found the gold and red wrapped boxes and read each tag, handing them to the appropriate person. She grabbed the teaming green gift which was from "Santa Claus". When she looked to Evan, he pointed to himself silently, signaling that it was his gift that was truly from him. She smiled as her family opened their gifts.

Brielle and Evan had tag teamed the gifts, as always - they both picked out what to get, and Evan paid for the gifts while Brielle wrapped them. It was a good deal, as Brielle didn't have any money, but Evan couldn't wrap a present for the life of him, no matter how perfectly square it was. They'd gotten Larissa oven mitts that were completely flameproof, which was a joke because last Christmas she'd set her oven mitts on fire. Joseph received a new backscratcher that extended and scratched his back without him having to reach his arm behind his head or asking others to scratch his back. It was really best for the whole family.

And, every year, Joseph takes Brielle to a shop and gives her money for Evan's gift. This year, she got him a new tea kettle for his office. His was getting old and didn't whistle the right way anymore.

"Gee," Evan examined the kettle with a humble smile on his face. "Thanks, Stretch. Go ahead, open yours." Brielle smiled and took the first of two gifts into her lap. This one was a box that was a little more square-shaped than that of the goggles he'd given her earlier. She peeled back the red wrapping paper with little green trees on it and pulled out a box that was marked with the same logo as the earlier box. Brielle smiled up questioningly at Evan, then removed the lid to find a pair of leather gloves. She pulled them out and examined them; the fingers did not have tips, and they were very light. The gloves had little cutouts where her knuckles would be, and when she tried them on, they fit perfectly.

"They're Beater gloves," Evan explained as she examined them more closely. "So that your bat doesn't slip away from you." Brielle smiled and put them back in the box, leaning over to Evan - who was residing in the next chair over - and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Ev," she said with a smile and carefully placed the box next to her, "Er, Santa. Thank you, Santa."

Larissa and Joseph didn't seem to notice her blunder; they were too focused on the box Brielle hadn't opened yet. She grabbed the second box, cladden in light blue paper with little snowflakes. It was larger than the other one, and when she carefully pulled the paper off she noticed it was from a different place than the goggles and gloves. Brielle lifted the lid of the box and peeked inside. Within the box - which contained a whole lot of tissue paper - Brielle pulled out a small, leather bag. It looked like a larger version of a bag which you would fill with little rocks at a museum.

Brielle examined the intricate embroidery of the designs on the exterior of the bag as Joseph spoke. "It's a Mokeskin Pouch," he told her, "Mokeskin is tougher than iron, it'll keep just about everything safe. If you have things that you want to keep with you at school that would typically have the potential to be stolen or lost, keep it in there. You can fill it to the brim, and the good news is that even if you lose the pouch, Mokeskin is charmed to return to you no matter what." Brielle looked up from the bag with wonder; so she could keep _anything_ in here, and it wouldn't get lost? Astonishing.

"Thank you, Larissa, Joe," Brielle replied gratefully and gave each one of them a hug, "Not just for the pouch, but for everything. You treat me like your daughter, you truly are the best family I could've dreamt of. Thank you for giving me a superb life outside of Continental."

"Sweet Pea," Larissa said and kissed her forehead, "We love you. You're not just _like _a daughter to us, you _are _our daughter. We love you immensely, it doesn't matter that it isn't biological."

"At all," Joseph said, "We want to give you the best. Both you and Evan."

"Despite the fact that I'm twenty some years old," Evan mumbled in the background, and all of them chuckled.

"Despite that you're twenty some years old," Joseph agreed. Brielle smiled and stood up. Now that gifts were over, she had to prepare herself for her grandmother coming over to meet her.

Oh, boy.

Brielle was very nervous for dinner. Not just because it was with someone she didn't know, but this was a _family_ member. Larissa always said how much family meant to her and spoke very highly of her mother, so if she didn't like Brielle…

Well…

She threw on a very nice blouse that, for some reason, was in her closet, and a pair of tan slacks that went nicely with it. Brielle hoped it was good enough, because it was the nicest thing she owned aside from a dress, which she hoped to avoid wearing. But when Larissa told Brielle how beautiful she looked, she decided the dress could wait.

Brielle was a little upset that she wasn't able to bring her wand to the table. Larissa's mother was a muggle, so she couldn't see any magic. That meant that the inside of the house shrunk immensely to avoid any suspicion, and it felt a bit uncomfortable to have her house look so different. There weren't any quills on the desk in the family room. The broom case with the _Glover 200 _in it was replaced by a piano. The dining room did not have the floating candles in it anymore; they were replaced by a small chandelier.

"Mum," Larissa's voice echoed down the corridor, and Brielle began to clam up. She froze at the bottom of the stairs, unable to bring herself to move to the foyer to greet her grandmother.

"Elle," Evan said as he straightened out his tie. She looked to her foster brother, and he smiled and held out a hand. When she didn't take it, he got to one knee. "It's only one night, she'll love you, I promise." Brielle nodded and took Evan's hand, and he led Brielle to the foyer.

Larissa's mother did not resemble Larissa at all. She was a plump lady who wore a dress that was much too small for her body, and she had on black high heels that looked like they were going to burst. Her cheeks were doused in makeup, along with her eyelids and her lips, which were too bright for the dress she was wearing. She was about Larissa's height, though the beehive of clearly dyed hair atop her head made her a bit taller.

"How are you, Mrs. Groves?" Joseph asked as he gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she started talking in a scratchy voice with a British accent similar to Larissa's.

"Well I would have been much better if the M7 wasn't backed up and your home wasn't in the middle of nowhere," she complained, "Could you have picked a more secluded home, Joseph?"

"Mum," Larissa said in a warning tone, but she ignored her daughter and turned to Evan.

"Evan, my Love," she said happily and waddled over to give him a hug. She completely ignored Brielle and gave Evan a kiss on the cheek, which left a lipstick mark. Brielle laughed as Evan made a face over their grandmother's shoulder, and when they broke the hug, Evan grabbed Brielle by the shoulders and set her in front of him.

"Grandmum," Evan said and looked down at his foster-sister, "This is Brielle. Brielle, this is Grandmum."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Brielle said quietly but kindly, and Grandmum made a face.

"She's Irish," she pointed out and turned to Larissa and Joe. "Did you adopt an Irish girl?"

"Mum," Larissa said again, "We do live in Ireland, you know."

"Hmmph," Grandmum sounded and examined Brielle closely. She let out a deep, snorting breath, then turned back to Larissa. "I would've thought she'd dress up for the occasion." Grandmum turned on her heel and strode through the house with short, clanky steps until she reached the kitchen. Larissa grabbed Brielle's arm before they followed and pulled her by the stairs gently.

"Sweet Pea, why don't you go up and change into that dress I left for you, hmm?" she told Brielle, and - while she hated dresses - she wanted to make Larissa happy. So, she nodded without protest, and Larissa kissed her forehead and thanked her. Brielle scampered up the stairs and to her room, pushing open her window.

Brielle found the dress and changed quickly, throwing on the sweater and combat boots that Larissa had left, as well. She was about to leave when there was a squawk at her window, and Brielle turned around to see Péleda sitting there with a small envelope hanging from her beak. Brielle walked over briskly and grabbed it, deciding to open it before she went back downstairs. It was from Jesse.

_Brielle,_

_First of all, Happy Christmas! I hope you received what you wanted, I'm sure we did, too. We haven't opened our gifts yet. _

Jesse must have written this letter earlier today, because Brielle figured that they would have opened their gifts right when they went downstairs.

_Anyways, everyone here is intact. TJ's rolling around pretty well nowadays, and he's not stumbling on stairs and things anymore, which is good. Cameron and I are good, too, nothing really new on our end. _

_I'm sorry you can't come to dinner tonight, but maybe you can come some other time. Sometime soon, perhaps, I know TJ and Cameron are going crazy that you're not here. Especially TJ. They can't wait until we go back to school, because rumor has it that we're not going back anytime soon. They still haven't found Oralie, or whoever they want us to think paralyzed TJ (It was most definitely Oralie)._

_We sent Ibis with your gifts, there's one from TJ and Cameron and one from me in there. They're all in one box. I hope you like everything, and good luck with your grandmother tonight._

_Take care, and Happy Christmas._

_Jesse._

As if on cue, Brielle put down the letter and Ibis flew into the window shakily, circling around her room and dropping one, small box on Brielle's bed.

"Brielle?" Evan called from downstairs, "Is everything alright up there?"

"Just a second," Brielle responded and made her way to the bed. She didn't bother being careful with the wrapping paper for the sake of time, and she opened the box quickly. Inside, there seemed to be a limitless expansion charm. She reached her hand in and noticed that she was right, then felt around for anything in the box. She pulled out a bracelet first, with a tag on it that read _From Cameron and TJ_. They had crossed out the words _and Jesse_. On the bracelet - which she slipped onto her wrist - were two charms. One was a beater's bat, the other a broom. The bracelet fit perfectly.

Brielle searched for whatever it was Jesse had sent her and soon pulled out a long chain with a disc-shaped, white stone on it. The stone had a black engraving of three lines making a teepee shape that had three dots over the top. She put it on her neck - as it matched the dress she was wearing nicely - and closed the box as Evan yelled up to her again.

"Elle?"

"Coming!" she responded and darted downstairs. She slowed her pace as she entered the kitchen, and Grandmum seemed to approve of the outfit change. Brielle assumed this by the fact that there wasn't a grunt or a snide comment made as she sat down at the table.

"Brielle, that's a lovely pendant," Joe said as Larissa brought over a ham from the kitchen, and Brielle took her seat next to Evan. "Where'd you get it?"

Evan took one look at the pendant, and his eyes widened. He looked very anxious as Brielle responded. "It was a gift from Jesse Ramos, Joe."

"_Joe_?" Grandmum repeated, "You allow this girl to call you by your first names?"

"Well, of course," Brielle responded for Joseph, and Evan grabbed Brielle's arm.

"Can...Can I see that necklace, Elle?" he asked hastily, and Brielle furrowed her eyebrows, taking it with the hand with the bracelet around the wrist. She held the pendant out for Evan to see, and he tried to remove it from Brielle's neck. She recoiled a little bit, and he gave her a look as if to warn her, which she returned, and Evan gave up on trying to get the necklace. She didn't understand why he wanted it.

As Brielle reached for her fork, Grandmum caught her wrist from the head of the table. Brielle smiled and watched as the old woman examined the bracelet, and she asked, "What is this? What do these charms mean?"

"Those?" Brielle said and looked at the charms as well. Evan was whispering something to Joe, whose eyes were wide. "These are a Beater's bat and a broomstick, of course." Grandmum looked at her like she had five heads.

"Beater?" she questioned, "Is that some Irish poppycock?"

"Not at all," Brielle said, and Evan tried to unlatch the pendant from behind her, but Brielle swatted his hand away.

"Brielle," Joe warned, but she ignored him.

"A Beater is a Quidditch position," she explained to her grandmother, "Of course, you wouldn't know anything about Quidditch, but perhaps you can go with Joe to the Drakonas versus Voras game at Aboriginal."

"Aboriginal?" her grandmother repeated with outrage. "What is Aboriginal?"

"School," Brielle said simply.

"Brielle," Evan growled and grabbed her arm under the table, "That's enough."

"Yes, Sweet Pea," Larissa continued, clearly trying not to get too angry, "Why don't we start dinner before the ham gets cold, right, Mum?"

But her grandmother was already off track. "_School_? You told me she was at Pennington."

"That preppy old Muggle school?" Brielle spat and made what Evan called her _yucky_ face, "Oh heavens no."

"That's it," Grandmum interjected and stood abruptly from the table, "All this poppycock is too much for me. An Irish daughter who isn't even yours, going to some school I've never even heard of, doing made up things."

Brielle's grandmother started to waddle towards the exit of the kitchen, and Larissa shot out of her seat. "Mum, please," she practically begged, "Stay for dinner, it's Christmas."

"You should be ashamed," Grandmum continued with a snarl. "A girl like that calling herself a member of this family." She glared at Brielle, who was now very aware of the effect her words were having on her grandmother, but her emotions were bubbling up inside of her and, for some reason, she couldn't keep her opinions to herself tonight. "She's a disgrace."

"At least I'm not a bitter old British lady," Brielle mumbled, and Joseph lashed out as the 'bitter old British lady' stormed (waddled) down the hallway and to the front door.

"That is _it_," he snapped as Larissa chased her mother down the hallway, trying to keep her from leaving. "What the hell is the matter with you?" Brielle sat there, frozen. "Well? Never did I expect you to be so rude to _anyone_, especially your grandmother. What happened to you being a sweet, shy kid, huh?"

Brielle didn't know how to respond to this, and instead sat there as Joe looked furious. Even Evan looked angry beyond belief, though he didn't say anything. Joseph sighed in frustration and put a hand over his face. He used his other one to point towards the staircase.

"Go," he told her, "Go to your room."

Brielle took a breath to say something, but she didn't have words for the first time all night. She slowly stood up from her chair, and Evan didn't even look at her as she passed by to go to the stairs. Before she left the room, though, she turned to Evan and Joe's backs and meekly said, "I...I'm sorry."

Then she ran to the stairs and stormed up them, running to her room and burying herself in her bedsheets and her face in a pillow.

What just happened? She didn't know; it wasn't like her to say much of anything to people, especially to strangers. She didn't know what overcame her tonight, but whatever it was, her grandmother was right.

Brielle was a disgrace.


End file.
